The federal government entered its 36th full day of shutdown on Wednesday after Congress failed to enact a spending bill by the Oct. 1 deadline, making this the longest closure in modern U.S. history. The previous record was a 35-day shutdown that stretched from December 2018 to January 2019. The impasse has left more than 1 million federal employees working without pay while roughly 600,000 remain furloughed, and it has disrupted air travel, national parks and core services. Negotiations remain stalled as each party links reopening to contrasting policy priorities, with no immediate resolution in sight.
Key takeaways
- The shutdown began on Oct. 1 and reached its 36th full day on Wednesday, exceeding the 35-day 2018–2019 closure.
- More than 1 million federal workers are working without pay and about 600,000 have been furloughed; a 2019 law provides for backpay after reopenings but the timing remains uncertain.
- The earlier 2018–2019 shutdown is estimated to have reduced U.S. GDP by about $3 billion over its duration.
- There have been 20 funding gaps since 1976, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), though many lasted only days.
- Senate rules require 60 votes to advance most spending bills; Democrats are pushing to tie funding to an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies due to expire at year-end.
- The Senate has failed 14 times to pass a House-approved stopgap bill; the House has been out of session since Oct. 1.
- Essential services are affected: air traffic control shortages have caused flight delays, many national park sites and Smithsonian museums have reduced operations or closed, and the IRS furloughed roughly half its staff.
- Federal nutrition programs such as SNAP were temporarily stopped over the weekend, prompting judicial pushback and a promise from the administration to restart limited payments.
Background
The modern federal budget process, adopted in the mid-1970s, created the annual appropriations timetable and the potential for funding gaps when Congress and the White House cannot agree on spending measures. Since then, the U.S. has experienced 20 interruptions in funding; most were brief, but three shutdowns in the last 30 years ran longer than two weeks. The most recent comparable event ran from Dec. 2018 into Jan. 2019 and ended after 35 days amid mounting operational disruptions and political pressure.
Institutional rules shape the current stalemate. Although Republicans control both chambers, the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to overcome filibusters means the majority party still needs cross-party support for contested spending bills. Democrats have leveraged that requirement to press for policy changes — notably an extension of Affordable Care Act premium subsidies set to lapse at year-end — while Republicans say they will discuss those topics only after the government reopens. That standstill has left appropriations stalled and routine operations impaired across multiple agencies.
Main event
Negotiations fell apart before the Oct. 1 funding deadline, and efforts to pass temporary stopgap measures have repeatedly failed. The Senate has attempted 14 cloture or passage motions on a House-approved continuing resolution and each attempt did not achieve the votes needed to advance. The House, which approved its version of a stopgap before the lapse, has been out of session since the shutdown began, limiting on-the-ground bargaining and floor activity that might move a compromise forward.
Operational impacts have become more pronounced as the shutdown has stretched on. Over 1 million civil servants remain on duty without pay, and roughly 600,000 are furloughed; both groups are legally entitled to retroactive pay if and when the government reopens under the 2019 statute. Agencies report mounting backlogs: the IRS furloughed nearly half its workforce, delaying taxpayer services; air traffic control staffing shortfalls have been cited for flight disruptions; and national cultural institutions such as the Smithsonian have curtailed programming or closed facilities.
Federal nutrition and social programs have also been affected. SNAP benefits were halted over a weekend, prompting rulings from two federal judges and sparking emergency measures; the administration has said it will restart payments but has warned they may be delayed and partial. Head Start programs that serve low-income children have reported enrollment and service risks as local grantees face funding uncertainty. The cumulative effect is a growing set of economic and social stresses for households and businesses that rely on federal services.
Analysis & implications
At an economic level, extended funding lapses impose measurable costs. Analysts estimated that the 2018–2019 shutdown reduced GDP by roughly $3 billion; prolonged absence of paychecks and paused government contracts can depress consumer spending and slow private-sector activity tied to federal procurement. Local economies that depend heavily on federal employment, national parks or research institutions are particularly vulnerable to cascading income losses and service interruptions.
Politically, the standoff highlights the leverage created by Senate rules and the strategic choices of both parties. Democrats have used the 60-vote requirement to press for policy concessions, while Republicans emphasize reopening first and addressing demands afterward. That posture creates a coordination problem: with limited immediate incentives for either side to yield, negotiations can become protracted unless external pressures — economic costs, public opinion or targeted institutional failures — force a compromise.
For federal employees and beneficiaries, legal protections are partial and contingent. The 2019 law guaranteeing backpay provides a safety net but does not eliminate short-term liquidity problems for workers who still must cover rent, mortgages and household expenses without timely wages. Similarly, judicial interventions on program interruptions can produce temporary relief but may not address the administrative chaos caused by abrupt service suspensions.
Internationally, extended U.S. government shutdowns can create reputational costs and complicate diplomatic or trade engagements that rely on agency continuity. Delays in visa processing, trade enforcement, or scientific collaboration can ripple beyond domestic borders, although the near-term foreign-policy fallout tends to be more contained than the domestic economic effects.
Comparison & data
| Shutdown | Dates | Duration (days) | Notable economic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current shutdown | Oct. 1, 2025 — ongoing | 36 (as of Wednesday) | Widespread service disruptions; GDP impact TBD |
| Dec. 2018 – Jan. 2019 | Dec. 22, 2018 – Jan. 25, 2019 | 35 | Estimated ~ $3 billion GDP loss |
The table above juxtaposes the current interruption with the prior record-holder. While the earlier shutdown’s macroeconomic cost has been estimated, economists caution that the full economic imprint of any shutdown depends on its length, the timing of payroll recoveries, and whether key programs remain suspended. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget notes there have been 20 funding gaps since 1976; most were brief, but the subset of multiweek closures accounts for a disproportionate share of disruption and cost.
Reactions & quotes
Political leaders traded blame as the impasse deepened, and the president emphasized his unwillingness to surrender to Democratic demands while signaling that he played a role in ending the prior long shutdown.
“I’m not gonna do it by being extorted by the Democrats who have lost their way.”
President Donald J. Trump — CBS News interview
Policy groups and budget analysts framed the episode in institutional terms, pointing to the frequency of funding gaps under the modern budget process.
“There have been 20 funding gaps since 1976,”
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (policy organization)
Advocates for federal workers and some judges have expressed concern about the human costs, urging rapid restoration of pay and benefits; courts intervened to review interruption of nutrition benefits while agencies and nonfederal partners sought short-term remedies.
Unconfirmed
- Whether all affected federal employees will receive backpay on the same timeline remains uncertain until Congress explicitly approves reopening and funding language.
- The administration’s described plan to restart SNAP payments — including the exact timing and the suggestion that amounts may be reduced or partial — is reported but the implementation details and scope remain subject to change.
- Any estimate of cumulative GDP loss from the current shutdown is provisional; comprehensive economic analyses require a full accounting of duration and secondary impacts.
Bottom line
This shutdown has now eclipsed the 2018–2019 closure in length, and its effects are unevenly distributed across the federal workforce, beneficiaries of safety-net programs and local economies dependent on federal activity. The institutional mechanics — notably the Senate’s 60-vote threshold and the timing of Congress’s calendar — are central to why the stalemate persists and why a rapid solution has proved elusive.
Absent a negotiated compromise or an extraordinary procedural move, disruptions are likely to continue and to deepen economic and administrative strains. Close monitoring of negotiations, targeted emergency relief for the hardest-hit communities, and clear signals on backpay and benefit restoration will be critical indicators to watch in the coming days.
Sources
- NPR (news report covering the shutdown and its immediate impacts)
- Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) (policy organization; historical data on funding gaps)
- CBS News (news organization; interview with the president referenced)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) (federal agency managing SNAP and related program guidance)