“Unless Democrats drop their partisan demands, we will enter the longest government shutdown in American history,” House Speaker Mike Johnson warned.
‘No Kings’ protests planned across the country on October 18th
Nationwide “No Kings” protests are scheduled for October 18 as organizers claim responsibility for the shutdown.
As the federal government enters its 16th day of a partial shutdown without a budget agreement, the 22nd shutdown nationwide is on pace to break records. The shutdown began shortly after midnight on October 1 after Congress failed to pass a new budget, and was the fourth shutdown of President Donald Trump’s term.
Over the past 50 years, every president except George W. Bush and Joe Biden has survived a government shutdown of at least a few days. Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama all experienced shutdowns lasting more than two weeks during their terms.
“Unless Democrats drop their partisan demands, we are heading toward the longest government shutdown in American history,” Louisiana House Speaker Mike Johnson warned.
The previous longest government shutdown lasted 35 days during the Trump administration’s first term, from December 2018 to January 2019.
As the ongoing shutdown reaches a new record, here’s what you need to know about the shutdown record so far.
Friday, October 17th: Day 17
On Friday, Oct. 17, the ongoing shutdown will tie the 2013 shutdown for the fourth-longest in U.S. history at 17 days. The 2013 government shutdown, which ran from October 1 to October 17 under President Barack Obama, was tied to disagreements over the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans sought to repeal.
Monday, October 20th: Day 20
If the government does not reopen by Monday, October 20, the ongoing government shutdown will be the third longest in history, surpassing the 1978 government shutdown under President Jimmy Carter.
According to Time, the government shutdown began on September 30, 1978 and lasted 19 days until October 18, 1978, the second year of President Carter’s presidency. That happened for several reasons, including disagreements over the defense spending bill, which includes funding for abortions and funding for nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
Wednesday, October 22nd: Day 22
Wednesday, Oct. 22, the ongoing government shutdown will become the second-longest, surpassing the 1995-1996 government shutdown caused by budget conflicts between House Speaker Newt Gingrich and President Bill Clinton. It lasted 21 days from December 16, 1995 to January 6, 1996.
Wednesday, November 5th: Day 36
If the government shutdown continues until November 5th, it will be the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
So far, the longest 35-day shutdown in history occurred during President Trump’s first term, making it the third shutdown of his tenure. The action began Dec. 22, 2018, after President Trump requested $5.7 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and lasted until Jan. 25, 2019, during which Democrats flatly refused to negotiate on border wall funding until the government reopened, USA TODAY previously reported.
The standoff lasted 35 days and resulted in more than 350,000 federal employees being furloughed and 400,000 others forced to work without pay. Some food safety inspections were temporarily suspended, trash piled up in national parks, federal landmarks and museums were closed, and some airports closed checkpoints because fewer Transportation Security Administration agents were screening passengers.
The blockade ended only after President Trump supported a bipartisan bill that did not include funding for the border wall he had requested.
Contributors: USA TODAY’s Zach Anderson, Joey Garrison, Bert Jansen, Sudiksha Kochi, Terry Moseley, Zachary Shermele and Sarah D. Wire
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
