Government shutdown history: The longest was under Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office, on the day he signs an executive order on AI and pediatric cancer research, at the White House, Washington, D.C., U.S., Sept. 30, 2025.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
The full shutdown began at midnight Wednesday after Democratic and Republican leaders failed to agree on even a short-term deal to keep the government fully funded past the current fiscal year.
It is unclear just how long the shutdown will last, or how widespread its impacts will be.
The federal government has either shut down or experienced funding gaps 14 times since 1980.
The longest shutdown on record started in late 2018, when the government partially shuttered for about five weeks amid disputes over funding Trump’s proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall.
— Kevin Breuninger
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