Independent & nonpartisan Government funded through Dec. 11, 2026 Updated Sept. 17, 2026
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Historical reference

U.S. government shutdown history

A funding gap is not always an operational shutdown. This timeline focuses on modern lapses that caused meaningful shutdown activity, with duration labels explained instead of mixed together.

Longest modern shutdowns

Full days in the funding gap, using CRS counting where available

Feb. 14–Apr. 30, 202676 days76
Oct. 1–Nov. 11, 202542 days42
Dec. 22, 2018–Jan. 25, 201934 days34
Dec. 16, 1995–Jan. 5, 199621 days21
Oct. 1–16, 201316 days16
Major federal shutdowns and funding lapses
PeriodDurationScopePresidentContext
Feb. 14–Apr. 30, 202676 full daysPartial (DHS)Donald TrumpDHS-only lapse after the other 11 FY2026 appropriations bills were already law. CRS counts 76 days. Some tallies keep ICE and U.S. Border Patrol unfunded until June 10.
Oct. 1–Nov. 11, 202542 full daysGovernment-wideDonald TrumpFunding resumed Nov. 12 with P.L. 119-37. CRS counts 42 full days; calendar-day summaries often describe it as 43 days.
Dec. 22, 2018–Jan. 25, 201934 full daysPartialDonald TrumpFive of the 12 regular appropriations bills had already been enacted.
Dec. 16, 1995–Jan. 5, 199621 full daysPartialBill ClintonThe longer of two shutdowns during the FY1996 funding dispute.
Oct. 1–16, 201316 full daysGovernment-wideBarack ObamaOperations resumed after a continuing appropriations measure was enacted.
Nov. 14–18, 19955 full daysPartialBill ClintonThe first of two shutdowns during the FY1996 appropriations conflict.
Jan. 31–Feb. 2, 20263 full daysPartial (DHS)Donald TrumpA short DHS funding gap ended when a two-week CR extension was signed. CRS counts 3 full days; some calendar summaries include February 3.
Oct. 6–8, 19903 full daysWeekendGeorge H. W. BushThe lapse covered a holiday weekend and had limited weekday effects.
Jan. 20–22, 20183 full daysWeekendDonald TrumpFunding resumed Monday after a weekend lapse.
Feb. 9, 20181 full dayOvernightDonald TrumpA brief funding lapse ended before most operations were affected.

Why shutdown day counts sometimes disagree

News coverage often counts every calendar date touched by a shutdown. Congressional Research Service reports commonly count complete days during which funding was unavailable. That is why the 2025 lapse may be called a 43-day shutdown even though CRS describes a 42-day period from October 1 through November 11, with funding restored on November 12.

Government-wide vs. departmental records

The October–November 2025 lapse was the longest modern government-wide shutdown. It began October 1, 2025, and ended when P.L. 119-37 was signed on November 12. The Congressional Budget Office estimated during the lapse that a six-week shutdown would permanently reduce real economic output by about $11 billion, while much of the delayed activity would later be recovered.

Duration records change if the question is “longest lapse for one department.” CRS’s history of DHS appropriations lapses counts a 76-day DHS-only shutdown from February 14 through April 30, 2026, after the other 11 FY2026 bills had already been enacted. A shorter DHS gap also occurred January 31–February 2, 2026. Those events are partial shutdowns: most of government was funded; Homeland Security was not. See partial vs. full shutdown.

Funding gaps before the modern shutdown era

There were earlier gaps in appropriations, but they did not always lead agencies to stop work in the way people now associate with shutdowns. Legal opinions issued in 1980 and 1981 shaped the modern interpretation of the Antideficiency Act and the requirement to suspend non-excepted activities.

Primary sources