The U.S. government is under its first federal government shutdown in almost seven years as Senate Democrats have voted down a Republican bill to keep funding the government.

Get live updates from Capitol Hill as Republicans and Democrats in Congress scramble to avoid a government shutdown.

The Senate on Tuesday spurned a Democratic stopgap spending bill, putting lawmakers a step closer to a government shutdown ahead of the midnight deadline. Lawmakers voted along party lines,

Live from Senate floor as Congress faces a deadline to adopt a spending measure and prevent a federal government shutdown.

The Senate for a second day in a row rejected rival measures to fund the government, prolonging the shutdown that began at midnight. Wednesday’s votes mirrored Tuesday’s results, with two Democrats and Sen.

For a fourth time, the Senate failed to pass a short-term spending bill that would end a federal government shutdown and keep agencies running through November.Only three Democrats joined Republicans Friday to support the measure,