Timeline of US government shutdowns over last 50 years
- - Timeline of US government shutdowns over last 50 years
Terry Moseley, USA TODAYSeptember 29, 2025 at 4:49 AM
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Ahead of a meeting between lawmakers and President Donald Trump on Monday, Sept. 29, Republican leaders continue to blame Democrats for not approving a short-term bill to avoid a government shutdown in less than two days.
Without passage of funding legislation, parts of the government will close on Wednesday, Oct. 1, the first day of the U.S. government's 2026 fiscal year. Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but a temporary measure keeping the government open would require at least 60 votes in the 100-seat Senate, meaning some Democratic votes are needed.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both New York Democrats, have rejected a short-term bill, demanding that any legislation undo recent Republican cuts to healthcare programs. The president has summoned congressional leaders from both parties to a White House sit down on Monday, Sept. 29, to find a resolution ahead of the looming shutdown.
millions of Americans. Beyond the walls of Congress and the White House, a shutdown would ripple through various government-run programs, such as federally funded preschool, federal college grants and loans, food safety inspections and more. See the most memorable images from the longest federal government shutdown — which lasted 35 days spanning from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019 — beginning here with an image that went viral of President Donald Trump alongside fast food he purchased for the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers during their visit to the White House. Trump said the White House chefs are furloughed due to the shutdown.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Government shutdowns impact millions of Americans. Beyond the walls of Congress and the White House, a shutdown would ripple through various government-run programs, such as federally funded preschool, federal college grants and loans, food safety inspections and more. See the most memorable images from the longest federal government shutdown — which lasted 35 days spanning from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019 — beginning here with an image that went viral of President Donald Trump alongside fast food he purchased for the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers during their visit to the White House. Trump said the White House chefs are furloughed due to the shutdown.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/XTD8nRc8ZCCPZMYUeBigqw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c7cae9447f942779eaf13ac57fbc12fd class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
Government shutdowns impact millions of Americans. Beyond the walls of Congress and the White House, a shutdown would ripple through various government-run programs, such as federally funded preschool, federal college grants and loans, food safety inspections and more. See the most memorable images from the longest federal government shutdown — which lasted 35 days spanning from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019 — beginning here with an image that went viral of President Donald Trump alongside fast food he purchased for the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers during their visit to the White House. Trump said the White House chefs are furloughed due to the shutdown.
">Government shutdowns impact millions of Americans. Beyond the walls of Congress and the White House, a shutdown would ripple through various government-run programs, such as federally funded preschool, federal college grants and loans, food safety inspections and more. See the most memorable images from the longest federal government shutdown — which lasted 35 days spanning from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019 — beginning here with an image that went viral of President Donald Trump alongside fast food he purchased for the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers during their visit to the White House. Trump said the White House chefs are furloughed due to the shutdown.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/XTD8nRc8ZCCPZMYUeBigqw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c7cae9447f942779eaf13ac57fbc12fd class=caas-img>
Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) talking to the media following the Senate rejecting a pair of dueling bills to fund the federal government and end the longest partial government shutdown in history.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Zk.BVb.C_vpLTGojQxPRBQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/55a3de5296be8504977a0657e680f531 class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) talking to the media following the Senate rejecting a pair of dueling bills to fund the federal government and end the longest partial government shutdown in history.
">Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) talking to the media following the Senate rejecting a pair of dueling bills to fund the federal government and end the longest partial government shutdown in history.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Zk.BVb.C_vpLTGojQxPRBQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/55a3de5296be8504977a0657e680f531 class=caas-img>
Passengers wait in a Transportation Security Administration line at JFK airport on Jan. 9, 2019 in New York City. Hundreds of TSA screeners and agents reportedly called in sick from their shifts from a number of major airports as the partial government shutdown continues. Employees of the TSA, whose job it is to keep airlines safe, are being forced to work without knowing when their next paycheck is coming.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/N8JT_UW6VSNSwUQf._Tq8w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/a103971b4026822cb0c4030dbc2795c5 class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
Passengers wait in a Transportation Security Administration line at JFK airport on Jan. 9, 2019 in New York City. Hundreds of TSA screeners and agents reportedly called in sick from their shifts from a number of major airports as the partial government shutdown continues. Employees of the TSA, whose job it is to keep airlines safe, are being forced to work without knowing when their next paycheck is coming.
">Passengers wait in a Transportation Security Administration line at JFK airport on Jan. 9, 2019 in New York City. Hundreds of TSA screeners and agents reportedly called in sick from their shifts from a number of major airports as the partial government shutdown continues. Employees of the TSA, whose job it is to keep airlines safe, are being forced to work without knowing when their next paycheck is coming.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/N8JT_UW6VSNSwUQf._Tq8w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/a103971b4026822cb0c4030dbc2795c5 class=caas-img>
Celebrity Chef Jose Andres (R) helps carry free meals for U.S. Park Police outside his World Central Kitchen January 22, 2019 in Washington, DC. Founded by Andres, World Central Kitchen is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. The pop-up kitchen has been providing meals to workers affected by the partial federal government shutdown since January 16 and started giving away groceries and providing other services this week.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/w2UDxll.XW2WVsao1duHeQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMDE4/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/0b8cfc1458bb004771266641638b2d7a class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
Celebrity Chef Jose Andres (R) helps carry free meals for U.S. Park Police outside his World Central Kitchen January 22, 2019 in Washington, DC. Founded by Andres, World Central Kitchen is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. The pop-up kitchen has been providing meals to workers affected by the partial federal government shutdown since January 16 and started giving away groceries and providing other services this week.
">Celebrity Chef Jose Andres (R) helps carry free meals for U.S. Park Police outside his World Central Kitchen January 22, 2019 in Washington, DC. Founded by Andres, World Central Kitchen is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. The pop-up kitchen has been providing meals to workers affected by the partial federal government shutdown since January 16 and started giving away groceries and providing other services this week.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/w2UDxll.XW2WVsao1duHeQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMDE4/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/0b8cfc1458bb004771266641638b2d7a class=caas-img>Furloughed contract workers, including security officers and custodians who have not been paid during the partial government shutdown, hold unpaid bills to present to the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, January 16, 2019. - Furloughed contract workers have not received back pay from previous government shutdowns, unlikely employees who work directly for the federal government. Four weeks into the US government shutdown, cash-strapped federal workers are tapping life-savings, selling possessions and turning to soup kitchens to make ends meet -- ramping up pressure for leaders in Washington to strike a deal.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/B6epib.CaI.aJOECrwAuvQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MDE-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/27b894022baabc122eb08452b7389f87 class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
Furloughed contract workers, including security officers and custodians who have not been paid during the partial government shutdown, hold unpaid bills to present to the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, January 16, 2019. - Furloughed contract workers have not received back pay from previous government shutdowns, unlikely employees who work directly for the federal government. Four weeks into the US government shutdown, cash-strapped federal workers are tapping life-savings, selling possessions and turning to soup kitchens to make ends meet -- ramping up pressure for leaders in Washington to strike a deal.
">Furloughed contract workers, including security officers and custodians who have not been paid during the partial government shutdown, hold unpaid bills to present to the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, January 16, 2019. - Furloughed contract workers have not received back pay from previous government shutdowns, unlikely employees who work directly for the federal government. Four weeks into the US government shutdown, cash-strapped federal workers are tapping life-savings, selling possessions and turning to soup kitchens to make ends meet -- ramping up pressure for leaders in Washington to strike a deal.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/B6epib.CaI.aJOECrwAuvQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MDE-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/27b894022baabc122eb08452b7389f87 class=caas-img>TSA agent Anthony Morselli of Georgia, VT, shows his GoFundMe post on Facebook before starting his shift at Burlington International Airport on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. Morselli and his wife, both TSA agents, didn't get paid along with approximately 800,000 other federal workers and, to try to make ends meet, started the GoFundMe site to try to pay the bills as the government shutdown entered it's 21st day.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/xFNvEAjqZKAbdJvC645MBA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MzM-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/b47c34cf6400ad8bce98a34b6645d3ac class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
TSA agent Anthony Morselli of Georgia, VT, shows his GoFundMe post on Facebook before starting his shift at Burlington International Airport on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. Morselli and his wife, both TSA agents, didn't get paid along with approximately 800,000 other federal workers and, to try to make ends meet, started the GoFundMe site to try to pay the bills as the government shutdown entered it's 21st day.
">TSA agent Anthony Morselli of Georgia, VT, shows his GoFundMe post on Facebook before starting his shift at Burlington International Airport on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. Morselli and his wife, both TSA agents, didn't get paid along with approximately 800,000 other federal workers and, to try to make ends meet, started the GoFundMe site to try to pay the bills as the government shutdown entered it's 21st day.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/xFNvEAjqZKAbdJvC645MBA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MzM-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/b47c34cf6400ad8bce98a34b6645d3ac class=caas-img>David Fitzpatrick, 64, a Park Ranger, holds an American flag and a placard stating "You're fired" with "Smokey the Bear," after a protest rally with furloughed federal workers and area elected officials in front of Independence Hall on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ZI3xVdwNMz8HFAi8gTiI1g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c1bb9027c6985de2160430c0d9356ef0 class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
David Fitzpatrick, 64, a Park Ranger, holds an American flag and a placard stating "You're fired" with "Smokey the Bear," after a protest rally with furloughed federal workers and area elected officials in front of Independence Hall on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
">David Fitzpatrick, 64, a Park Ranger, holds an American flag and a placard stating "You're fired" with "Smokey the Bear," after a protest rally with furloughed federal workers and area elected officials in front of Independence Hall on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ZI3xVdwNMz8HFAi8gTiI1g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c1bb9027c6985de2160430c0d9356ef0 class=caas-img>
Tourists photograph the Liberty Bell, unable to go inside due to a lapse in federal appropriations on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/5bQrU8uOxaR94ffCUz.WUg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/b674c73b6240a73fbba45b2f2b465848 class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
Tourists photograph the Liberty Bell, unable to go inside due to a lapse in federal appropriations on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
">Tourists photograph the Liberty Bell, unable to go inside due to a lapse in federal appropriations on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/5bQrU8uOxaR94ffCUz.WUg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/b674c73b6240a73fbba45b2f2b465848 class=caas-img>
1 / 29White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown
Government shutdowns impact millions of Americans. Beyond the walls of Congress and the White House, a shutdown would ripple through various government-run programs, such as federally funded preschool, federal college grants and loans, food safety inspections and more. See the most memorable images from the longest federal government shutdown — which lasted 35 days spanning from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019 — beginning here with an image that went viral of President Donald Trump alongside fast food he purchased for the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers during their visit to the White House. Trump said the White House chefs are furloughed due to the shutdown.
How long have U.S. government shutdowns lasted?
Over the last five decades, there have been 21 federal shutdowns. The longest government shutdown, which lasted 35 days, occurred from December 2018 to January 2019 due to an impasse with Congress and the Trump administration over funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
If Congress does not act before 11:59 p.m. ET on Sept. 30, thousands of federal government workers, from NASA to the national parks, could be furloughed, and a wide range of services would be disrupted. Federal courts might have to close and grants for small businesses could be delayed.
Tourists walk past a public dustbin, spilling with litter, next to the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington DC on December 24, 2018. - US lawmakers headed home for Christmas leaving the government partially shut for a third day in an impasse over President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funding. More than 400,000 federal employees are reporting to their jobs on Monday but won't get their salaries, while nearly 400,000 others "will be locked out of work with no pay," the American Federation of Government Employees union said.
More: What's open or closed in a federal government shutdown? Here are the answers
1976: Under President Gerald Ford. Lasted for 11 days.
1977: Under President Jimmy Carter. Lasted 12 days.
1977: Under Carter. Lasted eight days.
1977: Under Carter. Lasted eight days.
1978: Under Carter. Lasted 17 days.
1979: Under Carter. Lasted 11 days.
1981: Under President Ronald Reagan. Lasted two days.
1982: Under Reagan. Lasted one day.
1982: Under Reagan. Lasted three days.
1983: Under Reagan. Lasted three days.
1984: Under Reagan. Lasted two days.
1984: Under Reagan. Lasted one day.
1986: Under Reagan. Lasted one day.
1987: Under Reagan. Lasted one day.
1990: Under George H.W. Bush. Lasted four days.
1995: Under President Bill Clinton. Lasted five days.
1996: Under Clinton. Lasted 21 days.
2013: Under President Barack Obama. Lasted 17 days.
2018: Under President Donald Trump. Lasted three days.
2018: Under Trump. Lasted several hours.
2019: Under Trump. Lasted 35 days and cost the economy about $3 billion, equal to 0.02% of GDP, according to the Congressional Budget Office.Contributors: USA TODAY's Zac Anderson, Joey Garrison and Bart Jansen; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Timeline of US government shutdowns over last 50 years
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