US government shutdown begins as Trump threatens mass layoffs

Plunged into a government shutdown, the US is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programmes and services running by Wednesday's deadline.

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US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington

(AP/PTI)

Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by Trump's Republican administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as Trump vows to “do things that are irreversible, that are bad” as retribution. His deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide.

“We don't want it to shut down? Trump said at the White House before the midnight deadline.