--- title: When Was the Last Government Shutdown? description: With less than 24 hours to avoid a government shutdown, Republicans and Democrats are locked in a bitter stalemate. canonical: https://time.com/7321870/when-was-the-last-government-shutdown-united-states/ author: Callum Sutherland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-09-30T12:17:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2025-10-02T20:56:03.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: When Was the Last Government Shutdown in the U.S.? og:description: With less than 24 hours to avoid a government shutdown, Republicans and Democrats are locked in a bitter stalemate. og:url: https://time.com/7321870/when-was-the-last-government-shutdown-united-states/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1539406e94bc9e4/6998ca451f67092296f56c54/senate-building-sep29.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Government Shutdown Looms As House And Senate Disagree On Funding Bill og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: When Was the Last Government Shutdown in the U.S.? twitter:description: With less than 24 hours to avoid a government shutdown, Republicans and Democrats are locked in a bitter stalemate. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1539406e94bc9e4/6998ca451f67092296f56c54/senate-building-sep29.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:35 video:published: 2025-09-30 section: politics topics: government shutdown, federal workers, stopgap spending bill, funding deadline, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, national parks, food assistance, air travel, jobs report, immigration enforcement, 2018 shutdown genre: explainer, news tones: informative, urgent, neutral, concise emotions: concern (medium), uncertainty (medium), urgency (medium) sentiment: negative audience: general news audience, federal employees, benefit recipients, travelers, US taxpayers people: Donald Trump organizations: Congress, White House Budget Office, Smithsonian, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, ICE, Customs and Border Protection, TSA, Federal Reserve content_suitability: politics [00:00-01:35]; financial distress [00:12-01:35] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # When Was the Last Government Shutdown in the U.S.? Here's What to Know > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=8cf0c30f-56f9-4a79-b566-56698a47a8e3&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: A Government Shutdown Could Start Wednesday. Here’s How It Could Affect Your Life [Watch (HLS stream): A Government Shutdown Could Start Wednesday. Here’s How It Could Affect Your Life](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/oSuO7VVR.m3u8) (1:35)  _Published 2025-09-30. The federal government is set to shut down on Wednesday unless Congress manages to strike a last-minute agreement to pass a stopgap spending bill before the Sept. 30 funding deadline. While it's become common practice for Congress to avert a shutdown at the last possible moment, such an outcome appears increasingly unlikely as lawmakers have departed Washington with no agreement in sight._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video outlines how a potential federal government shutdown could affect Americans. It covers the impact on federal workers, closures of parks and museums, the status of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and effects on food assistance, immigration enforcement, air travel and economic data. It ends by recalling the previous shutdown, which lasted 34 days and was the longest in the modern era. ## Key points - Most federal workers would be sent home without pay, which the video describes as the most significant impact of a shutdown. (00:12) - The White House Budget Office is instructing agencies to prepare plans for permanent mass firings in programs that would lose funding, rather than temporary furloughs. (00:20) - Federally funded recreational facilities such as national parks and Smithsonian museums would be forced to close. (00:28) - Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid would keep running, but past shutdowns halted new Social Security cards, replacement Medicare cards and some veterans' benefit verification services. (00:35) - Families could see delays in food assistance. (00:56) - ICE agents, Customs and Border Protection and detention facilities remain operating, though court hearings for some immigration cases may be delayed. (00:59) - Air travel might slow as TSA agents and air traffic controllers are asked to work without pay. (01:08) - A monthly jobs report due October 3rd may not be released, which could affect Federal Reserve decision making and create market uncertainty. (01:13) - The last shutdown, in December 2018, lasted 34 days, was the longest in the modern era and cost the US economy at least $11 billion. (01:20) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:12] Shutdown deadline approaches. The video introduces the funding deadline and the prospect of a shutdown unless Congress reaches a last-minute agreement. - [00:12 to 00:35] Federal workers and closures. It explains the impact on federal workers, including planned permanent firings, and the closure of parks and museums. - [00:35 to 00:59] Benefits and services affected. It describes which benefit programs continue and which related services were cut back in past shutdowns. - [00:59 to 01:20] Security, travel and economy. It covers immigration enforcement, air travel slowdowns and the possible missing jobs report. - [01:20 to 01:35] The 2018 shutdown precedent. It recalls the 34-day shutdown in December 2018 and its economic cost. ## Key quotes - [00:15] narrator: "most of whom would be sent home without pay." - [00:20] narrator: "the white House Budget Office is instructing agencies to prepare plans" - [00:35] narrator: "Social security, Medicare and Medicaid would continue to run during a shutdown." - [01:08] narrator: "Air travel might slow as TSA agents and" - [01:26] narrator: "when most government activity came to a halt for 34 days." ## Questions this video answers - What happens to federal workers during a government shutdown? [00:12] - Would Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid continue during a shutdown? [00:35] - Which public facilities would close in a shutdown? [00:28] - How could a shutdown affect air travel and immigration enforcement? [00:59] - How could a shutdown affect the jobs report and the Federal Reserve? [01:13] - How long was the last government shutdown and what did it cost? [01:20] ## Content suitability - politics [00:00-01:35]: Discusses a potential government shutdown, congressional funding negotiations and White House instructions for planning permanent firings. - financial distress [00:12-01:35]: Covers federal workers going without pay, possible delays in food assistance and an economic cost of at least $11 billion from the last shutdown. by [Callum Sutherland](https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Reporter Updated: Oct 2, 2025 8:56 PM UTCPublished: Sep 30, 2025 12:17 PM UTC The federal government is set to shut down on Wednesday unless Congress manages to strike a last-minute agreement to pass a stopgap spending bill before the Sept. 30 funding deadline. While it's become common practice for Congress to avert a shutdown at the last possible moment, such an outcome appears increasingly unlikely as lawmakers have departed Washington with no agreement in sight. by [Callum Sutherland](https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Reporter Updated: Oct 2, 2025 8:56 PM UTCPublished: Sep 30, 2025 12:17 PM UTC With less than 24 hours to avoid a government shutdown, Senate Republicans and Democrats are locked in a bitter stalemate as they’ve yet to make any progress in their funding talks. After a pivotal [Oval Office meeting](https://time.com/7321745/government-shutdown-trump-meeting-democrats/) between President Donald Trump and congressional leaders on Monday provided no results, Vice President J.D. Vance placed the blame with Democrats. “I think we’re headed to a shutdown, because the Democrats won’t do the right thing,” said [Vance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F%5FH35-es6A0), emphasizing that policy differences shouldn’t be “an excuse for shutting down the people’s government and all the essential services that come with it.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has remained firm in his opposition of the funding bill without certain assurances, such as the extension of Obamacare tax credits. “It’s now in the President’s hands. He can avoid a shutdown if he gets the Republican leader to go along with what we want,” Schumer said on Monday. With the government funding deadline of midnight on Tuesday steadily approaching, thoughts are turning to what a shutdown might look like and when they’ve previously occurred. In reality, although best avoided as they can bring a halt to vital services, government shutdowns are not entirely uncommon in the U.S. There have been 14 shutdowns since 1980, the most recent took place during Trump’s first term. ## **When did the last government shutdown happen?** There were three government shutdowns during Trump’s first term. The last occurred in late 2018 and continued over the festive season. The majority of government activity came to a halt for a full 34 days from Dec. 22 to Jan. 25, making it [the longest closure](https://time.com/5499397/shutdown-longest-history/) of its kind in U.S. history. This beat the previous record of 21 days, set under President Bill Clinton. Per a Congressional Budget Office [report](https://www.cbo.gov/publication/54937), the partial shutdown over the 2018 festive season “delayed approximately $18 billion in federal discretionary spending for compensation and purchases of goods and services and suspended some federal services.” Furthermore, [hundreds of thousands](https://time.com/5486113/goverment-shutdown-effects/) of federal workers went without pay during that period, with many [raising serious financial concerns](https://time.com/5497039/government-shutdown-workers-paycheck/). NASA, the Department of Transportation, the IRS, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) were some of the departments in which workers were put on mandatory furlough. Linda Bilmes, a senior lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, says that many of the costs involved in a government shutdown, separate to those calculated by the CBO, build up in _preparation_ of a shutdown. Agencies are required to plan how they might continue their functions, such as research maintenance and contracts with external bodies, without government funding. “It's hard to think of a dumber thing to spend taxpayer money on, shutting down and then reopening the government,” argues Bilmes. Given the layoffs and budget cuts already delivered by the Trump Administration this year, Bilmes says that a lot of the federal workforce is already demoralized. “There is the fear that if the government shuts down, there will be another round of layoffs, more than many of those working the federal government can bear. It may be the straw that breaks the camel's back,” she says. **Read More**: [_Top Democrats Leave White House With No Deal as Shutdown Nears_](https://time.com/7321745/government-shutdown-trump-meeting-democrats/) ## **What led to the last government shutdown?** The shutdown unfolded due to [disagreements between Republicans and Democrats](https://time.com/5486113/goverment-shutdown-effects/) over funding—to the amount of $5.7 billion—requested by Trump to construct a wall along the U.S. southern border with Mexico. To Trump’s disapproval, the Senate failed to pass a bill that included the funding for the border wall. A senate vote of at least 60 in favor of the bill was required, but Democrats were unwilling to budge on the border wall funding, a project that was [estimated at the time](https://time.com/5486082/donald-trump-shutdown-math/) by Democrats to cost up to $70 billion to build and $150 million annually to maintain. Trump had previously threatened to initiate a shutdown. “I would be willing to ‘shut down’ \[the\] government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for border security, which includes the wall!” [the President said ](https://x.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1023557246628900864?)via social media in July 2018. Schumer, in January 2019, strongly [critiqued](https://archive.org/details/CSPAN2%5F20190110%5F132400%5FU.S.%5FSenate%5FSen.%5FSchumer%5Fon%5FGovernment%5FShutdown) Trump’s stance, arguing: “We should not treat hundreds of thousands of Americans, millions of Americans, as leverage to try and get something by pounding the table. That’s not how our government works.” Ultimately, amid the turmoil, Trump signed legislation to temporarily fund the government until Feb. 15, 2019, but that still left the question of border wall funding in the air. Days before the Feb. 15 deadline, [a revised bill was passed](https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20190211/CRPT-116hrpt9.pdf), allocating just $1.4 billion in funding to wall construction, much less than what Trump had originally envisioned. Bilmes points to significant differences between the last shutdown and the current looming disruption, most notably the depth of what is up for debate this time round. “The complexity of explaining to the public the importance of the Affordable Care Act and tax credits is, I think, a much more complicated sound-bite than the last time when Trump reduced it down to, ‘They won't pay for the wall,’” she says. Bilmes maintains that for many Americans, the main concern is simply that Congress be able to continue doing its job: “They just want Congress to pass a budget and to take care of the programs that they \[the public\] depend on.” ## Transcript [00:00] The federal government is set to shut down on Wednesday unless Congress manages [00:03] to strike a last minute agreement before the September 30th funding deadline. [00:07] So if it has to shut down, [00:09] it will have to shut down. [00:10] Here's how government shutdown could affect you. [00:12] The most significant impact will be to federal workers, [00:15] most of whom would be sent home without pay. [00:17] But in a departure from how past shutdowns have been managed, [00:20] the white House Budget Office is instructing agencies to prepare plans [00:23] for permanent mass firings in programs that would lose funding, [00:26] rather than temporary furloughs. [00:28] Recreational facilities funded by the federal government, [00:31] such as national parks and Smithsonian museums, [00:34] would be forced to close. [00:35] Social security, Medicare and Medicaid would continue to run during a shutdown. [00:39] However, in past shutdowns, [00:41] both agencies have cut back on related services, [00:44] such as halting the issuance of new Social Security cards, [00:47] replacement Medicare cards, and [00:48] benefit verifications services for veterans outside the health system, [00:52] including some administrative functions and benefits. [00:54] Processing could be delayed. [00:56] Families could see delays in food assistance. [00:59] Ice agents and Customs and Border Protection will remain on duty. [01:02] Detention facilities will also continue to operate, [01:05] though court hearings for some immigration cases may be delayed. [01:08] Air travel might slow as TSA agents and [01:10] air traffic controllers are asked to work without pay. [01:13] There may also not be a monthly jobs report on October 3rd, [01:16] which could impact the Federal Reserve's decision making [01:18] and create uncertainty in the markets. [01:20] The last government shutdown took place in [01:22] December 2018 under President Donald Trump's first term, [01:26] when most government activity came to a halt for 34 days. [01:29] It was the longest in the modern era and cost the US economy at least $11 billion. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7321870/when-was-the-last-government-shutdown-united-states/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7321870/when-was-the-last-government-shutdown-united-states/"},"headline":"When Was the Last Government Shutdown in the U.S.? 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