YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. The US government has shut down after Congress failed to pass a key budgetary measure on time, BBC reports.

Lawmakers had hoped to approve a new spending bill before federal funding expired at midnight.

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.

The federal Office of Personnel Management said government operations would "vary by agency."

It is not yet clear how Congress will proceed and how public services may be affected on Friday.