The US federal government shut down in the early hours of Wednesday due to a tense standoff between Republicans and Democrats over measures aimed at protecting health insurance for millions of Americans.

The lapse in appropriations came just hours after the Senate rejected a pair of competing spending bills that would have kept the government open until November.

Republicans managed to peel off a few Democratic votes on their funding extension — but it wasn’t enough to break a filibuster. Republicans all voted against a Democratic spending bill that extended subsidies for people who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

The shutdown affects federal agencies and operations that are funded each year by lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers will go home while others, including active-duty troops, will have to work without pay.

The shutdown does not stop activities necessary for protecting human life or property, such as air traffic control and law enforcement, and it doesn’t apply to some of the federal government’s biggest programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, because those have “mandatory” funding lawmakers don’t fuss with every year. So there might be even fewer people answering the phone at Social Security, but nobody’s benefits should be interrupted.

Since so many essential functions continue in a shutdown, some........

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