The US government is now technically in another shutdown, after Senator Rand Paul delayed a vote with a nine-hour speech. Having missed Thursday's midnight deadline for a stopgap spending bill, funding for most federal agencies has expired. This has been the second shutdown for the US government in three weeks. But this time it could be brief, as the Senate is expected to pass the bill and a budget deal after 1 a.m. and send it to the House of Representatives. If the bill is not approved, the result would be an actual shutdown. The US Office of Personnel Management sent an email to federal government employees shortly after midnight, informing them of the possibility of another shutdown.