What happens after the US government shuts down?

According to Xinhua News Agency , the US government began shutting down at 0:00 on October 1 (local time) after Congress failed to pass a federal spending bill, marking the first time the US government has shut down in nearly 7 years.

With the US government shut down, federal employees considered "excepted" - those whose job is to protect life and property, such as FBI investigators and air traffic controllers - continue to work and will only receive pay when Congress passes a spending bill and ends the government shutdown.

The US government shut down for the first time in nearly seven years. Photo: Xinhua News Agency.

In addition, hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be forced to take unpaid leave. The Congressional Budget Office previously estimated that about 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed each day during the shutdown, with total compensation costs for them reaching about $400 million per day.

The government shutdown will also affect some public services.

The Brookings Institution recently reported that a government shutdown could cause disruptions, including delays in processing applications for passports, small business loans, or government benefits; closures of visitor centers and restrooms at national parks; fewer food safety inspections; and many other inconveniences.

“Shutting down doesn’t save money, it wastes money,” Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said in a statement.

"In the event of a government shutdown, we would still be paying federal employees who are not working and renting unused buildings, inefficiently allocating government resources and cutting services to the American people... We should avoid a government shutdown and keep the government funded," MacGuineas said.

The US government shutdown came hours after the US Senate failed to pass a short-term spending bill, which could temporarily keep the government running, due to not reaching the required 60 votes.

In recent negotiations, health care benefits have been one of the core points of disagreement between Democrats and Republicans, preventing the federal spending bill from passing.

Democrats propose stronger health care benefits, including extending enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that are set to expire at the end of this year, as well as restoring coverage under the act to some legal immigrants.

However, Republicans oppose the proposal, arguing that Democrats want to provide free health care to undocumented immigrants as well.

>>> Readers are invited to watch more videos : The US prepares for a government shutdown scenario