Government Shutdown Makes History As Longest Ever Recap

Now in its 36th day, pain points for Americans continue to mount. The government shutdown on Wednesday entered its 36th day, officially becoming the longest shutdown in U.S. history. That means the two longest shutdowns in American politics have occurred under President Donald Trump, with the previous 35-day record having been set during his first term in 2019. There's been little movement on Capitol Hill over the past five weeks as Republicans and Democrats blame one another for the stalemate. Democrats are keeping up their demand for an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, while Trump and Republicans say they won't negotiate until the government is reopened.

Meanwhile, the impact on Americans is growing more painful by the day. WASHINGTON – It's official: The government shutdown is the longest in U.S. history, marking 36 painful days of missed paychecks, travel disruptions, food shortages and other mounting consequences for millions of Americans. Now, some Democrats are using their sweeping election wins in New Jersey, New York and Virginia on Tuesday night as a reason Republican lawmakers should come make a deal to end the shutdown. “Last night should make it clear to Republicans that they simply cannot continue to ignore not only us, but the American people, for the good of the whole country,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer... Republicans, on the other hand, are grappling with President Donald Trump’s increased pressure campaign to end the Senate's 60-vote threshold known as the filibuster in hopes lawmakers can reopen the government.

Even as the Senate shot down a short-term funding measure for the 14th time, rank-and-file lawmakers in Congress have said in recent days that bipartisan back-channeling is picking up, and they're getting closer to... The ongoing federal shutdown became the longest closure of government agencies in U.S. history at the end of the day Tuesday, eclipsing the 34-day mark set in President Donald Trump’s first term. Bipartisan talks in Congress are just now beginning to give lawmakers hope there may be a path to end the crisis that will shave at least $7 billion off the United States’ annual economic... Any potential deal remains in flux. The federal government has been shut down since Congress failed to pass a spending bill on Oct.

1. Mariam Zuhaib/AP hide caption The ongoing government shutdown entered its 36th full day on Wednesday, which officially makes it the longest in U.S. history. It takes the title from the most recent shutdown, which stretched from December 2018 to January 2019 during the first Trump administration. That impasse started with Democrats' refusal to fund President Trump's southern border wall.

It ended — 35 days and an estimated $3 billion in lost GDP later — after a series of escalating disruptions, including to air travel, put pressure on Trump and Republicans in Congress to... This time around, the government shuttered on Oct. 1 after Congress failed to break a stalemate over funding negotiations. More than a month later, an end to the stalemate appears nowhere in sight. Updated on: November 13, 2025 / 10:22 AM EST / CBS News Washington — The longest government shutdown in history came to an end on Wednesday after 43 days and more than a dozen attempts to reopen the government.

Here's how the shutdown started, and eventually came to an end: The standoff began in late September as lawmakers faced a deadline to fund the government by the start of a new fiscal year on Oct. 1. House Republicans passed a short-term funding measure on Sept. 19 to keep the government funded at existing levels until Nov. 21.

But with Democratic support needed to move forward with any funding measure in the Senate, the chamber was at an impasse. The top Democrats in Congress had been pushing since August to meet with GOP leaders and the White House on the funding issue, ramping up their calls to address expiring health care tax credits... 1 shutdown deadline drew near. The government shutdown is days away from breaking the record for the longest in the country’s history. The shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, 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... 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 are climbing, and millions of Americans who rely on food stamp benefits are set to... 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 that currently hold the top spots. The last government shutdown was also the longest in U.S. history, lasting 34 days. It occurred during Trump’s first term. WASHINGTON — The lengthy standoff between President Donald Trump and congressional Democratic leaders is now the longest government shutdown in American history. On Wednesday, the shutdown enters its 36th day, eclipsing the record set during Trump's first term.

That 35-day federal closure in late 2018 and early 2019 resulted from a fight over Trump’s demand for a border wall, which Democrats refused to fund. It's a testament to the current political environment that some senators aren't even shocked. "I wouldn't use the word surprised," Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said. "It disappoints me." Though Congress has not reached a deal, some senators indicated this week that progress was being made behind the scenes.

The shutdown hit 35 days on November 5, surpassing the previous record set in 2019. The 2025 government shutdown reached 35 days on November 5, eclipsing a 34-day shutdown in 2018–2019 for the longest in US history. The shutdown started when the previous budget expired at the onset of the fiscal year on October 1. Congress has been unable to pass a continuing resolution to reopen operations. How does the government budget process work? House Republicans and Democrats each proposed budget resolutions prior to the shutdown, both of which were voted down in the Senate.

Updated November 12, 2025 at 8:46 PM MST President Trump has signed a bill to fund the government, bringing a close to the longest government shutdown in history, one that saw millions of Americans affected and ended with little political gain. The bill passed Wednesday night despite Republicans' narrow margin in the House. Six Democrats joined their Republican colleagues to get the bill over the finish line 43 days after the shutdown began: Reps. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Adam Gray of California, Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and Tom Suozzi of New York. Two Republicans -- Reps.

Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Greg Steube of Florida -- voted no. The final vote was 222 to 209. President Trump signed the bill shortly after the House vote. Trump blamed Democrats for the shutdown at the signing event in the Oval Office.

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