US begins second shutdown in weeks

The US government has shut down after Congress failed to pass a key budgetary measure on time.

Lawmakers had hoped to approve a new spending bill before federal funding expired at midnight (05:00 GMT).

But Republican Senator Rand Paul ended hopes for a quick vote when he demanded a debate in the chamber on his amendment to maintain spending caps.

In January, a similar failure to pass a bill led to a three-day government shutdown, BBC reports. 

Late on Thursday, as Senator Paul continued to delay the vote, the White House said it was preparing for a possible shutdown.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives need to approve the new two-year spending deal.

The shutdown was essentially guaranteed an hour before the deadline, when the Senate voted for a recess until 00:01.

Despite the delays, the Senate is due to vote on the budgetary measure after 01:00. The House will not vote on the deal until the Senate approves it.