WASHINGTON - The US Senate voted on Tuesday to reject a motion to meet with the House on the issue of funding the government, despite the government shutdown starting at the midnight.

The Democrat-controlled Senate voted 54-46 to refuse an overture from the Republian-dominant House of Representatives to hold formal negotiation on avoiding a government shutdown, the third time in 24 hours.

Senate Majority leader Harry Reid insisted that he would not negotiate with the Republicans unless they present a clean spending bill that will strip out the provision of delaying or defunding the Obamacare.

Due to the failure to pass the government funding bill by the Congress, the US government was forced to shut down since Tuesday, the first time in 17 years.

Though essential public services ranging from postal services to national security will remain in operation, up to 1 million government employees would be affected and some of them will stay home on unpaid furlough.