Top 20 longest U.S. government shutdowns

in Governance

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Government shutdowns have become defining moments in modern American governance, often exposing deep political divisions and the challenges of achieving fiscal consensus. Since the modern congressional budget process took effect in 1976, the United States has experienced a number of federal government shutdowns – periods when Congress fails to pass, or the president refuses to sign, the appropriations bills or continuing resolutions needed to keep non-essential federal operations funded. While many funding gaps pass quickly and with minimal disruption, others stretch long enough to halt federal operations, delay public services, and affect millions of government employees and citizens.

These shutdowns, ranging from a single day to more than six weeks, halt paychecks for hundreds of thousands of federal workers, close national parks and museums, suspend regulatory and research activities, and disrupt services from passport processing to food-safety inspections. While most have been brief and largely forgotten, a handful have stretched into historic standoffs that tested the limits of American governance, cost billions in economic damage, and became defining moments in the presidencies they overshadowed.

Rank	Duration	Dates	President	Primary cause
1.	43 days	October 1 – November 12, 2025	Donald Trump	Dispute over Affordable Care Act subsidy extensions and federal spending cuts; Republicans held majorities but faced Senate filibuster hurdles on healthcare protections.
2.	35 days	December 22, 2018 – January 25, 2019	Donald Trump	Demand for $5.7 billion in border wall funding; Democrats refused until government reopened.
3.	21 days	December 16, 1995 – January 6, 1996	Bill Clinton	Budget balancing impasse between Clinton and Republican Congress led by Speaker Newt Gingrich; part of two consecutive shutdowns (preceded by a 6-day one in November 1995).
4.	16 days	October 1 – October 17, 2013	Barack Obama	Republican push to defund or delay Obamacare (Affordable Care Act); tied to debt ceiling debates.
5.	13 days	September 30 – October 12, 1978	Jimmy Carter	Disagreement over public works spending and energy policy funding.
6.	12 days	October 1 – October 13, 1977	Jimmy Carter	Dispute over Medicaid funding for abortions and overall appropriations.
7.	11 days	September 30 – October 11, 1976	Gerald Ford	Failure to pass appropriations for fiscal year 1977 amid budget disputes.
8.	9 days	December 19 – December 28, 1982	Ronald Reagan	Standoff over federal spending cuts and a tax increase bill.
9.	8 days	September 30 – October 8, 1982	Ronald Reagan	Failure to pass a continuing resolution for fiscal year 1983 amid budget reconciliation talks.
10.	8 days	October 31 – November 9, 1977	Jimmy Carter	Impasse on labor and health appropriations bills.
11.	8 days	November 30 – December 9, 1977	Jimmy Carter	Disagreement on District of Columbia appropriations.
12.	6 days	November 14 – November 20, 1995	Bill Clinton	Initial clash over Medicare and Medicaid spending in the lead-up to the longer December shutdown.
13.	6 days	October 2 – October 8, 1979	Jimmy Carter	Dispute over continuing resolutions for foreign aid and public works.
14.	5 days	November 3 – November 8, 1983	Ronald Reagan	Standoff on debt ceiling and appropriations for fiscal year 1984.
15.	3 days	December 18 – December 21, 1981	Ronald Reagan	Brief lapse over energy and water appropriations.
16.	3 days	October 3 – October 6, 1984	Ronald Reagan	Failure to enact a continuing resolution amid election-year budget fights.
17.	3 days	December 20 – December 23, 1985	Ronald Reagan	Impasse on agriculture and rural development funding.
18.	3 days	October 16 – October 19, 1986	Ronald Reagan	Disagreement on defense and military construction appropriations.
19.	3 days	December 18 – December 21, 1987	Ronald Reagan	Standoff over foreign operations and related programs funding.
20.	1 day	October 4, 1982	Ronald Reagan	Short funding gap due to delay in passing a continuing resolution; minimal impact.

Tags: Politics