One of the main lines of attack leveled by Republicans amid the government shutdown is that Democratic lawmakers want to give immigrants in the U.S. illegally free healthcare — which Democrats deny.

U.S. government layoffs could be in the thousands, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday as the federal government began the second day of a shutdown.

Follow the latest government shutdown news as congressional leaders stand firm on their respective funding bills. Trump administration officials are putting heavy blame on Democrats for the delay.

A prolonged government shutdown, as occurred in 2018, could lead to long lines at TSA checkpoints and economic losses, experts warn.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he will meet with his budget director Russell Vought on Thursday to determine which "Democrat Agencies" to cut, in a sign that he could use the second day of the government shutdown to inflict pain on his political opponents.

The US government is shutting down, with agencies activating contingency plans that sideline hundreds of thousands of federal workers and halt a wide range of services.

If a U.S. government shutdown goes on long enough, it could throw a wrench in travel plans, potentially leading to longer airport wait times, flight delays and even cancellations.

Crucial food assistance for about 6.7 million low-income Americans has been put in jeopardy by a federal government shutdown that the deeply divided U.S. Congress shows no signs of resolving swiftly.