US Government Shutdown 2025: Duration & Must-Know Stats

The US government shutdown has finally ended after 43 days. This was the longest US government shutdown in the history.

The United States Government shut down for the 11th time on 1st October, 2025 and it ended on November 12, 2025. During the shutdown, around 1.4 million federal workers went unpaid during the shutdown.

We have listed all the important statistics related to U.S. shutdowns from 1980 to 2025.

How many times has the U.S. government shutdown

The United States government has shut down 11 times in history, the first shutdown was on 1980 and the latest shutdown was on 1st October 2025, when the Donald Trump led government shut down on 12:01am East Coast time after Congress failed to pass a new spending bill, forcing operations considered inessential to close.

Sr. No.	U.S. Shutdown Dates	Shutdown Duration	Serving President
1	1980	1 day	Jimmy Carter
2	1981	1 day	Ronald Reagan
3	1984	~4 hours	Ronald Reagan
4	1986	~4 hours	Ronald Reagan
5	1990	3 days	George H. W. Bush
6	1995 (Nov)	5 days	Bill Clinton
7	1995–1996	21 days	Bill Clinton
8	2013	16 days	Barack Obama
9	2018 (Jan)	3 days	Donald Trump
10	2018–2019	35 days	Donald Trump
11	2025	43 days	Donald Trump

What’s the Impact of the US Government Shutdown?

Since 1980, U.S. government shutdowns have cumulatively furloughed approximately 5.1 million federal employees and cost the government around $7.72 billion. 

These shutdowns disrupt essential federal operations, including the closure of national parks and delays in regulatory and safety functions. 

Economically, shutdowns reduce GDP growth and cause financial strain for furloughed workers, despite retroactive pay. Politically, they deepen partisan divisions and erode public trust in government effectiveness. For example, the 2013 shutdown shaved 0.6% off GDP growth in the final quarter.

The combined economic, operational, and social effects highlight the significant consequences of funding impasses on both government and society.

During a shutdown, “essential” services like the military, air traffic control, or border security continue, but many other services—such as national parks, museums, and some government offices—are closed. Employees in non-essential services are asked not to work until funding is restored.

U.S. Government Shutdown Statistics By Year

As of today, the U.S. government has shut down 11 times. The longest shutdown began in December 2018 and lasted 35 days, making it the longest in U.S. history.

1980

The first official federal government shutdown occurred after the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) funding lapsed. The shutdown was triggered by a new legal interpretation of the Antideficiency Act by Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti, which required agencies to stop operations during funding gaps, a significant shift from prior practices.

• Duration: 1 day
• Agencies Affected: FTC
• Employees Furloughed: 1,600
• Estimated Cost: $700,000
• President: Jimmy Carter
• Senate Majority: Democratic (58–41–1)
• House Majority: Democratic (277–157–1)

1981

President Ronald Reagan vetoed a continuing resolution, seeking more aggressive budget cuts, particularly in domestic spending. This marked the first shutdown with substantial impact across the executive branch, except for the legislative branch.

• Duration: 1 day
• Agencies Affected: All (except Legislative)
• Employees Furloughed: 241,000
• Estimated Cost: $80–90 million
• President: Ronald Reagan
• Senate Majority: Democratic (53–46–1)
• House Majority: Democratic (242–192–1)

1984

A brief shutdown lasting only a few hours occurred due to last-minute disagreements in Congress over crime-fighting provisions and civil rights legislation. It was resolved quickly, but an estimated half a million employees were still furloughed during the lapse.

• Duration: ~4 hours
• Agencies Affected: Some
• Employees Furloughed: 500,000
• Estimated Cost: $65 million
• President: Ronald Reagan
• Senate Majority: Republican (55–45)
• House Majority: Democratic (269–165–1)

1986

Another short shutdown, again caused by delayed action on a continuing resolution. Congress missed the funding deadline by a few hours, leading to a brief lapse that was swiftly corrected.

• Duration: ~4 hours
• Agencies Affected: All
• Employees Furloughed: 500,000
• Estimated Cost: $62.2 million
• President: Ronald Reagan
• Senate Majority: Republican (53–47)
• House Majority: Democratic (253–181–1)

1990

This 3-day shutdown was politically charged, resulting from President George H. W. Bush’s decision to break his “no new taxes” pledge and work with Democrats on deficit reduction. The move angered conservative Republicans, leading to delays in passing the budget.

• Duration: 3 days
• Agencies Affected: All
• Employees Furloughed: 2,800
• Estimated Cost: $2.57 million
• President: George H. W. Bush
• Senate Majority: Democratic (55–45)
• House Majority: Democratic (267–167–1)

1995 (Nov)

One of two shutdowns in 1995–1996, this first episode stemmed from a standoff between President Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress over proposed budget cuts to Medicare, education, and environmental regulations.

• Duration: 5 days
• Agencies Affected: Some
• Employees Furloughed: 800,000
• Estimated Cost: $400 million
• President: Bill Clinton
• Senate Majority: Republican (53–47)
• House Majority: Republican (232–202–1)

1995–1996

This second and more prolonged shutdown in the same fiscal dispute lasted a record 21 days at the time. It was driven by deep ideological differences over fiscal priorities and is widely remembered for its political fallout between President Clinton and Speaker Newt Gingrich.

• Duration: 21 days
• Agencies Affected: Some
• Employees Furloughed: 284,000
• Estimated Cost: Unknown
• President: Bill Clinton
• Senate Majority: Republican (53–47)
• House Majority: Republican (232–202–1)

2013

This high-impact shutdown was triggered by House Republicans attempting to defund or delay the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The stalemate led to a 16-day shutdown affecting the entire federal government and costing over $2 billion in lost productivity.

• Duration: 16 days
• Agencies Affected: All
• Employees Furloughed: 800,000
• Estimated Cost: $2.1 billion
• President: Barack Obama
• Senate Majority: Democratic (53–45–2)
• House Majority: Republican (234–201)

2018 (Jan)

This brief shutdown centered on immigration, particularly the fate of DACA recipients (Dreamers). Funding expired without a deal, as Democrats demanded action on immigration protections in exchange for their votes.

• Duration: 3 days
• Agencies Affected: All
• Employees Furloughed: 692,900
• Estimated Cost: Unknown
• President: Donald Trump
• Senate Majority: Republican (51–47–2)
• House Majority: Republican (241–194)

2018–2019

At 35 days, this was the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. It was driven by President Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion in funding for a U.S.–Mexico border wall. The impasse led to severe disruptions, including delays at airports, stalled immigration hearings, and halted pay for hundreds of thousands of workers.

• Duration: 35 days
• Agencies Affected: Some
• Employees Furloughed: 380,000
• Estimated Cost: $5 billion
• President: Donald Trump
• Senate Majority: Republican (51–47–2 → 53–45–2)
• House Majority: Republican → Democratic (235–199)

2025

Beginning on October 1, 2025, this shutdown remains unresolved as of October 12. It is reportedly tied to conflicts over federal spending cuts, defense funding, and entitlement reform. With approximately 900,000 federal workers furloughed, the shutdown is creating growing pressure on Congress to act.

• Duration: 11 days (ongoing)
• Agencies Affected: All
• Employees Furloughed: 900,000
• Estimated Cost: TBD
• President: Donald Trump
• Senate Majority: Republican (53–45–2)
• House Majority: Republican (219–213)

How long will the current government shutdown last?

The 2025 U.S. government shutdown was the longest in the nation’s history, lasting 43 days from October 1 to November 12, 2025. It stemmed from a budget deadlock primarily centered on political disagreements over funding for healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.

This shutdown surpassed the previous record of 35 days set in 2018-2019.

The impasse began when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution to fund the government, but it was repeatedly blocked 14 times by the Democratic-controlled Senate.

The standoff ended when both chambers reached a bipartisan agreement, and the president signed the funding bill on November 12, restoring government operations through January 30, 2026.

During the shutdown, approximately 1.4 million federal employees were affected. About 670,000 to 750,000 of these workers were furloughed without pay, while roughly 730,000 to 900,000 had to continue working without pay, including essential personnel.

In addition, over 1.3 million active-duty military personnel and 750,000 National Guard and reserve members served without guaranteed salaries. The shutdown also impacted an estimated 5.2 million federal contractors, who typically did not receive back pay.

Source: Wikipediai

When does a U.S. government shut down happen

A U.S. government shutdown happens when Congress and the President fail to pass legislation that provides funding for federal agencies and programs. Without that legal authority to spend, the government must stop or scale back many operations.

The U.S. government follows a budget process that was set in 1974 and started working from 1976. This process decides how the government plans to spend money each year. It begins with the President sending a budget proposal to Congress. Then Congress prepares a budget resolution, which sets the overall spending plan. After that, Congress must pass appropriation bills. These bills give legal permission to government departments and agencies to use money.

The U.S. government’s financial year starts on October 1. That means all spending bills or a temporary funding plan (called a continuing resolution) must be passed by that date. If this does not happen, the government’s authority to spend money runs out.

A shutdown happens when Congress and the President do not agree on the budget or on temporary funding by the deadline. The law known as the Antideficiency Act says that government agencies cannot spend money without approval. Before the 1980s, funding gaps did not usually lead to shutdowns, and agencies kept operating, assuming funding would be restored soon, but in 1980 the Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti ruled that this was illegal. Since then, whenever there is no funding, many government services must stop.

FAQs