Mass layoffs of US federal workers will begin within two days, the White House says, as lawmakers trade blame over the first government shutdown in almost seven years.

The shutdown began on Wednesday after Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to agree a new spending plan before the midnight deadline.

There is little sign that either side is willing to compromise, and a vote to end the shutdown failed just hours after it began. 

The Senate has since adjourned, raising fears that the shutdown could drag on and threaten hundreds of thousands of jobs as well as risk costing the US economy billions in lost output.