--- title: The Longest Government Shutdowns in U.S. History description: This government shutdown is already the second longest the country has ever seen, and still has no clear endpoint in sight canonical: https://time.com/7325137/government-shutdown-longest-history/ author: Chantelle Lee article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-10-10T21:40:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2025-11-05T19:24:50.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: The Longest Government Shutdowns in U.S. History og:description: This government shutdown is already the second longest the country has ever seen, and still has no clear endpoint in sight. og:url: https://time.com/7325137/government-shutdown-longest-history/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc41f6411910b94bb/6998cabe7323af416a2bcf03/Longest-Shutdowns.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: U.S, Capitol Building Sunset Exterior og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Longest Government Shutdowns in U.S. History twitter:description: This government shutdown is already the second longest the country has ever seen, and still has no clear endpoint in sight. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc41f6411910b94bb/6998cabe7323af416a2bcf03/Longest-Shutdowns.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Longest Government Shutdowns in U.S. History—and Where This One Ranks ## Video: House Leaders Continue Blame Game as Trump Pushes to Scrap the Filibuster to End the Shutdown [Watch (HLS stream): House Leaders Continue Blame Game as Trump Pushes to Scrap the Filibuster to End the Shutdown](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/VTKDsUkD.m3u8) (3:08)  _Published 2025-11-03. President Donald Trump is calling on Republicans to get rid of the Senate filibuster to end the government shutdown—but many in his party are pushing back._ by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Updated: Nov 5, 2025 7:24 PM UTCPublished: Oct 10, 2025 9:40 PM UTC  The U.S. Capitol Building is seen at sunset in Washington, D.C., on June 22, 2025. The U.S. Capitol Building is seen at sunset in Washington, D.C., on June 22, 2025.Kevin Carter—Getty Images by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Updated: Nov 5, 2025 7:24 PM UTCPublished: Oct 10, 2025 9:40 PM UTC The [government shutdown](https://time.com/7325057/government-shutdown-layoffs-trump-vought/) is days away from breaking the record for the longest in the country’s history. The shutdown, [which began on Oct. 1](https://time.com/7322164/government-shutdown-begins-donald-trump/), is already the second longest ever by a significant margin and still has no clear endpoint in sight. President Donald Trump said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired over the weekend that he “won’t be extorted” by Democrats who want to negotiate extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire and will only have those discussions once the shutdown ends. Democrats, meanwhile, have rejected attempts to reach an agreement to fund the government without extending those subsidies, their core demand in the ongoing standoff. As the shutdown stretches into a new month, some federal employees have worked for weeks without pay, [flight delays](https://time.com/7329683/government-shutdown-flight-delays-cancellations-air-traffick-controllers-pay/) are climbing, and millions of Americans who rely on food stamp benefits are set to [receive only partial—and late—payments](https://time.com/7330673/snap-benefits-government-shutdown-food-stamps-trump/) . If lawmakers can’t reach a deal soon, those impacts will continue to grow and spread. And the shutdown itself will enter uncharted territory, officially becoming the longest the U.S. has ever seen on Wednesday. Here’s what to know about the [five previous shutdowns](https://history.house.gov/Institution/Shutdown/Government-Shutdowns/) that currently hold the top spots. ## **Dec. 21, 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019: 34 days** [The last government shutdown](https://time.com/7321870/when-was-the-last-government-shutdown-united-states/) was also [the longest in U.S. history](https://time.com/5499397/shutdown-longest-history/), lasting 34 days. It occurred during Trump’s first term. The partial shutdown was sparked by [disagreements between Republicans and Democrats](https://time.com/5486113/goverment-shutdown-effects/) over the $5.7 billion the President had requested to fund the construction of a wall along the U.S-Mexico border. At the start of the shutdown, Republicans held majorities in both the House and the Senate, but were unable to muster the 60 votes needed to get a spending bill through the upper chamber without Democrats crossing party lines. After the new year, with the shutdown still ongoing, Democrats took control of the House. The shutdown ultimately ended when Trump agreed to a temporary deal to fund the government until Feb. 15, 2019 that didn’t include money for the wall. In the days before the February deadline, a [revised bill was passed](https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20190211/CRPT-116hrpt9.pdf), which did include funding for the barrier—but notably less than the President had requested, at $1.4 billion. ## **Dec. 15, 1995 to Jan. 6, 1996: 21 days** Before the 2018-2019 partial shutdown, the previous record-holder for the longest in U.S. history took place under former President Bill Clinton. The shutdown, which lasted for 21 days, unfolded because Clinton and Republicans [disagreed](https://millercenter.org/1995-96-government-shutdown) over how to balance the nation’s budget. Republicans, who held majorities in both chambers of Congress at the time, wanted to roll back social programs and rescind Clinton’s 1993 tax increase. The shutdown ended after Republicans [agreed](https://www.npr.org/2025/10/01/nx-s1-5559267/government-shutdown-length-history) to a compromise that Clinton proposed. ## **Sept. 30, 1978 to Oct. 18, 1978: 17 days** Former President Jimmy Carter was in office for just four years, but that single term included multiple government shutdowns that extended for over a week each—including the third longest one in U.S. history. That shutdown occurred in 1978, as Carter’s second year as president was nearing an end. Democrats held majorities in both the Senate and the House. The government closed for 17 days because of several disagreements, including over [funding for abortion](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/09/25/here-is-every-previous-government-shutdown-why-they-happened-and-how-they-ended/?utm%5Fterm=.732413addae7). Carter also [vetoed](https://time.com/5494109/shutdown-third-longest-us-history/) a defense spending bill that included funding for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that he considered to be wasteful. The government reopened after legislation was passed that didn’t include funding for the aircraft carrier, or for water projects that Carter opposed on similar grounds. A previously agreed upon compromise on abortion, which allowed for funding in cases of rape, incest, and danger to the pregnant person’s health, was maintained. ## **Sept. 30, 2013 to Oct. 17, 2013: 16 days** Partisan divisions over the Affordable Care Act, which Democrats passed in 2010 without any Republican votes, became a defining issue in national politics for the remainder of former President Barack Obama’s time in the White House and ultimately led to a 16-day [shutdown](https://www.npr.org/2025/10/01/nx-s1-5559267/government-shutdown-length-history) months into his second term. Republicans, who controlled the House, rejected a spending bill that funded the landmark healthcare law in 2013\. Obama and Democrats, who held a majority in the Senate, pushed back on Republican-led proposals. The government ultimately reopened because of bipartisan Senate negotiations that led to small changes to the Affordable Care Act. ## **Sept. 30, 1977 to Oct. 13, 1977: 12 days** Exactly a year before 1978’s 17-day shutdown began, the government shuttered for 12 days in the first year of Carter’s presidency. The 1977 shutdown, which held the record for the longest in U.S. history for just 12 months, was sparked by disagreements over whether Medicaid should fund abortion care. 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