The US federal government is set for its first shutdown in almost seven years after a last-minute attempt at a compromise failed.
Hundreds of thousands of government workers deemed not essential for protecting people or property could be furloughed or laid off when the shutdown - which looks all but inevitable - begins at midnight (5am UK time).
It comes after rival Democrat and Republicans refused to budge in their stand-off over healthcare spending and a stopgap funding bill lapsed at midnight.
The last shutdown was in Donald Trump's first term, from December 2018 to January 2019, when he demanded money for his US-Mexico border wall. At 35 days, it was the longest on record.