WASHINGTON, Oct 5 — Thousands of US federal employees stopped working on Wednesday when the government shut down due to a budget impasse in Congress.

Following are the longest shutdowns since 1980, when US administrations started furloughing some federal workers when budgets expire.

2018-2019 — 35 days

The longest shutdown on record started December 22, 2018, during President Donald Trump’s first term in the White House. Democrats in Congress refused to back a spending bill that included Trump’s US$5.7 billion (RM23.9 billion) request for fencing on the US-Mexico border. Lawmakers eventually approved a spending bill without border wall money that Trump signed into law on January 25, 2019, ending the shutdown.

1995-1996 — 22 days

The government partially shut down on December 16, 1995, as part of a clash between the Republican-controlled Congress and then-President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, over how to balance the budget. Clinton signed a bill to re-open the government on January 6, 1996. Some polls showed the public largely blamed Republicans in Congress for the shutdown and some analysts said the spat helped Clinton win re-election in 1996.

Tourists pause to take photos of the U.S. Capitol, which is closed to public tours, during the fourth day of a partial government shutdown in Washington, D.C. October 4, 2025. — Reuters pic
Tourists pause to take photos of the U.S. Capitol, which is closed to public tours, during the fourth day of a partial government shutdown in Washington, D.C. October 4, 2025. — Reuters pic

2013 — 16 days

Government workers started furloughs on October 1 after Republicans demanded cuts or delays to a health care law championed by then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat. The shutdown was part of a broader impasse over the national debt, with the government at risk of defaulting on its obligations without congressional authorisation for further borrowing. Obama signed a bill re-opening the government shortly after midnight on October 17, with legislation that also authorised more borrowing.

1995 — 6 days

In a prelude to the longer shutdown at the close of 1995, government workers started furloughs on November 14 after Clinton vetoed a spending bill backed by Republicans. Washington reached a deal November 19 to re-open the government, but another shutdown was only weeks away.

2025 — 4 days

The shutdown currently under way now ranks as the fifth longest. Democrats have blocked spending legislation in the Republican-controlled Congress, saying that any funding package must also expand pandemic-era healthcare subsidies due to expire at the end of December. Republicans say that issue should be dealt with separately.

Tourists walk along the National Mall with the White House in the background, on the fourth day of a partial government shutdown in Washington, D.C. October 4, 2025. — Reuters pic
Tourists walk along the National Mall with the White House in the background, on the fourth day of a partial government shutdown in Washington, D.C. October 4, 2025. — Reuters pic

1990 — 3 days

Republican President George Bush vetoed a spending bill over a fight on how to reduce deficits, leading to a partial shutdown on October 6 that closed national parks and other landmarks. Lawmakers passed a measure to re-open the government in the early hours of October 9.

2018 — 3 days

Democrats in the Republican-controlled Congress blocked a spending bill, triggering a shutdown on January 20, partly as a way to shield from deportation immigrants who entered the country without authorisation as children. Congress approved a bill ending the shutdown on January 22 without addressing the fate of the young undocumented immigrants. — Reuters