WASHINGTON 

US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday blamed Democrats for what he described as an "avoidable" government shutdown.

"Today, America's boys and girls will walk up to these doors and they'll see something different, a sign that says 'Closed until further notice', and that's because at midnight, the Democrats followed through on their threat to shut down the United States government," Johnson, accompanied by top Republicans, said at a news conference on the Capitol Hill.

President Donald Trump is "trying to mitigate the damage as much as possible," Johnson added.

Funding for the US government has been cut off after Republican Party and Democrats failed to agree on a way forward on a spending bill. This means that while some US government services will continue, others are being temporarily suspended.

"The sad thing about it is that every single bit of this was entirely avoidable.

"Democrats could have worked with us in a bipartisan manner to avert this unnecessary and very harmful shutdown, but instead, they did something that is rather shocking to us," Johnson said.

While a shutdown does not automatically result in a full-blown economic crisis, it creates major disruptions for many aspects of American life.

Many federal employees will be furloughed, or forced to work without pay, while others will be placed on mandatory leave until a new budget is approved. Each federal agency has its own shutdown plan, determining which government employees are essential.

Unlike past shutdowns, Trump has threatened to make additional layoffs if the government shutters.