The federal government has officially shut down after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to reach a deal to keep programs and services funded by Wednesday's deadline.

The closure launches the U.S. into a new wave of uncertainty. Roughly 750,000 federal employees are expected to be furloughed, with some at risk of losing their jobs under Trump's Republican administration. Many offices are shuttered, some possibly for good, as Trump has vowed to take steps that he says will be "irreversible" as part of his pushback against Congress.

Government services, including education, environmental protection, and public programs, are facing cutbacks or delays. Economists warn the fallout could ripple nationwide.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the shutdown is already creating unease. Transportation Security Administration officers are considered essential workers, which means they must keep working without pay until the government reopens.

"You can expect more officers not being able to come to work due to the lack of means of income," said Aaron Barker, a TSA officer and president of AFGE Local 554, a union that represents TSA employees.

Barker said most officers live paycheck to paycheck, and without pay, basic needs quickly come into question.

"The issue becomes, without a paycheck, how am I supposed to get to work? Where am I going to get the gas to put in my car to come to work? Or how do I feed my children or buy diapers?" he said.

Barker warned that if the shutdown lasts more than a few days, travelers will begin to notice delays at security checkpoints as more officers are unable to show up.

The impact extends beyond the airport. Antonio Gaines, a housing specialist with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and a union leader for AFGE Local 1568, represents federal workers who are furloughed.

"We will be unsure as to when we'll be paid," Gaines said. "We have mortgages and rent to pay and need to provide basic necessities for our families."

Gaines said the repeated shutdown fights are taking a toll on workers.

"To continue to have to go through this process of using federal employees as pawns in a shutdown is unnecessary. And it's quite frankly disrespectful," he said.

While federal workers will eventually receive back pay once funding is restored, the financial strain in the meantime is immediate and difficult to manage. Programs such as food banks and other community services that rely on federal support are also preparing for disruptions.

Shutdowns are not new in Washington; there have been 10 since 1980. However, the current impasse, marked by sharp divisions over healthcare and Trump's vow to take sweeping steps against federal programs, has left hundreds of thousands of workers and families caught in the middle, uncertain about what comes next.