Government shutdowns in the United States facts for kids

A survey showing how people blamed different political parties for U.S. government shutdowns.

A government shutdown in the United States happens when the U.S. government runs out of money to pay for its daily operations. This occurs if lawmakers in Congress and the President don't agree on a budget plan before the new financial year starts. When a shutdown happens, many government offices close, and some workers are sent home without pay. Only essential workers, like those who protect people's safety, continue to work. These shutdowns can also affect state and local governments.

Government shutdowns have happened several times since 1980. Before 1990, the rules were a bit different, but now, if the government runs out of money for even a short time, many parts of it close. Since 1980, there have been 11 times when federal workers were sent home because of a shutdown.

Some of the longest shutdowns include one in 2025, which lasted 43 days during President Donald Trump's second term. Another long one was in 2018–2019, lasting 35 days, also during President Trump's first term, due to disagreements about a border wall. In 2026, the Department of Homeland Security had a 76-day shutdown. There was also a 21-day shutdown in 1995–1996 during President Bill Clinton's time, and a 16-day shutdown in 2013 under President Barack Obama, related to healthcare laws. Most other shutdowns were much shorter, lasting five days or less.

Shutdowns can cause many problems. They close national parks and museums, which means fewer visitors and less money for the government. They can also slow down the country's economy. For example, the 2013 shutdown cost the economy billions of dollars and slowed down economic growth.

Understanding U.S. Government Shutdowns

How the Government Gets Its Money

The United States Constitution sets up a system where different parts of the government have different jobs. It's the job of the United States Congress to decide how the government spends its money. Congress creates a special bill, called an appropriation bill, that lists how much money each government department and program will get. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate must vote on this bill. If it passes both, it goes to the President of the United States to sign, making it a law.

There's a law from 1870 called the Antideficiency Act. It says that government officials cannot spend more money than Congress has approved. For a long time, this law wasn't seen as a reason to close the government. But in 1980, the Justice Department said that this law means the government must shut down if it doesn't have funding.

Shutdowns usually happen when the President and Congress can't agree on how to spend money. The President might not approve a bill, or different political parties in Congress might disagree. To avoid a shutdown, they can pass a 'continuing resolution'. This is a temporary plan that keeps the government funded for a short time, giving them more time to agree on a full budget.

However, even a temporary funding plan can be blocked if there are disagreements. If no agreement is reached, a shutdown happens. Sometimes, Congress can try to overrule the President's decision, but this needs a very large number of votes from both the House and the Senate.

Before 1980, many government offices stayed open during funding problems, just doing less important work. But in 1980 and 1981, Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti made new rules. He said that most government offices must close if they don't have money. He also created an important rule: workers who protect human life or property must keep working, even without pay. These are called 'excepted' employees. Still, not every funding problem led to a shutdown in the 1980s.

Many lawmakers from both major political parties want to stop government shutdowns from happening. They have suggested ideas like automatically continuing funding at the same levels as before. Some ideas also suggest that Congress and budget officials should stay in Washington, D.C., until a new budget is passed.

Sometimes, people talk about a "full" shutdown or a "partial" shutdown. In a full shutdown, almost all government services stop. In a partial shutdown, only some departments or programs close because they are the only ones without funding. For example, the 2018–2019 shutdown was partial because some parts of the government already had their money.

What Happens During a Shutdown

Units of the National Park System closed during the 2013 federal government shutdown. This image shows the National Mall.

When the government shuts down, many civilian federal employees are sent home without pay. These workers are not even allowed to check their work emails. This can affect many people because the government has a very large workforce.

The effects of a shutdown can be seen in the country's economy. For example, during the 2013 shutdown, 800,000 employees were sent home. Payments to 1.3 million workers were delayed. This caused people to feel less confident about the job market, and the country's economic growth slowed down. The money lost during the shutdown was more than it would have cost to keep the government open.

The full effects of a shutdown are sometimes hard to know because some government offices that collect data are closed. Some problems from a shutdown can last a long time, like delays in scientific studies or needed repairs. The 2018–2019 shutdown caused delays in air travel, closed some facilities for Native Americans and tourists, and slowed down legal processes.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) decides exactly which government jobs stop during a shutdown.

What Stays Open

• Emergency personnel keep working. This includes military members, federal police, doctors and nurses in federal hospitals, and air traffic controllers.
• Some agencies continue with very few staff. These include the National Weather Service and parts of NASA.
• The Department of the Interior has special rules for what stays open in national parks and other areas.
• Members of Congress continue to get paid. Their pay can only be changed by a specific law.
• Mail delivery is not affected. The United States Postal Service pays for itself and doesn't rely on Congress for its daily funds.
• Some offices, like the Patent and Trademark Office, can use their own savings to stay open for a few months.
• The Washington, D.C. city government sometimes stays open. For example, in 2013, the mayor said all city workers were essential.
• The Congressional Budget Office also keeps working. It helps Congress with important financial information.

What Is Shut Down

• For the Department of Defense, at least half of the civilian workers are sent home without pay. Many members of the US National Guard are also furloughed.
• Programs like Social Security, which get money from other laws, can still be affected. This happens if they rely on other government activities that need annual funding.

Economic Costs of Shutdowns

Government shutdowns usually cost more money than they save. This is because of things like making emergency plans, losing fees from visitors, and paying furloughed employees later for time they didn't work. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the 2018–2019 shutdown reduced the country's total economic output by $11 billion. About $3 billion of that money was never recovered.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) estimated that the 2013 shutdown cost $2.5 billion in pay and benefits for workers who were sent home. It also cost about $10 million in late payment fees and lost income.

List of Federal Shutdowns

This list includes only major funding problems that caused federal workers to be sent home. It does not include very short funding gaps that did not stop government services. For example, a 9-hour gap in February 2018 and a 13-hour gap in March 2024 did not cause any workers to be furloughed. Sometimes, if a new funding plan is expected very soon, federal agencies can continue working normally.

1980 Shutdown

On May 1, 1980, during President Jimmy Carter's term, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) closed for one day. This happened because Congress did not pass a funding bill for the agency. Before this, a new rule was made based on the 1884 Antideficiency Act. This rule said that government agencies must close if their funding runs out. The FTC shutdown cost the government about $700,000, mostly in back-pay for workers. After this, new rules were made to ensure that agencies protecting human safety or property would still operate during shutdowns.

1981, 1984, and 1986 Shutdowns

During President Ronald Reagan's time, federal employees were sent home in 1981, 1984, and 1986. These shutdowns happened because Reagan disagreed with Congress's spending plans.

• The first shutdown in 1981 lasted one day. About 241,000 federal employees were furloughed. This happened after Reagan rejected a bill that didn't cut spending as much as he wanted. It cost taxpayers around $80–90 million.
• The second shutdown in 1984 lasted one day. About 500,000 federal employees were sent home. Reagan opposed parts of the spending bill, like a water projects package. Congress removed the parts he didn't like, and the shutdown ended. This cost about $65 million.
• A third shutdown in 1986 also lasted one day, affecting 500,000 federal employees. This was to pressure Congress to quickly agree on a full spending bill. It ended when Congress passed the bill, costing the government $62 million.

1990 Shutdown

The 1990 shutdown happened during President George H. W. Bush's term. The disagreement was about his plans for new taxes and cuts to programs like Medicare. Many lawmakers from both parties opposed his ideas. Bush rejected the spending bill.

The shutdown lasted three days, from October 6 to October 9. It happened over a holiday weekend, so the effects were not as severe. About 2,800 workers were furloughed. National parks and museums like the Smithsonian closed. The shutdown ended when Bush agreed to change his tax and spending plans. The cost to the government was about $2.57 million.

1995–1996 Shutdowns

The U.S. had two government shutdowns between 1995 and 1996 during President Bill Clinton's time. These happened because Clinton disagreed with spending bills proposed by Republicans in Congress. Republicans wanted to cut government spending, but Clinton opposed cuts to education, the environment, and public health.

• The first shutdown started on November 14, 1995, and lasted six days. Most government departments closed, and 800,000 federal workers were sent home.
• The second shutdown began on December 16, 1995, and lasted 21 days. Fewer departments closed this time, and about 284,000 federal workers were furloughed. This shutdown ended on January 6, 1996, when a budget agreement was reached.

These shutdowns caused the government, tourism, and airlines to lose millions of dollars. They also delayed passport processing and medical research.

2013 Shutdown

The 2013 shutdown happened during President Barack Obama's second term. It was due to a disagreement between Republicans and Democrats over the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a healthcare law. Republicans wanted to delay or change the ACA, but Obama and Democrats refused.

The shutdown began on October 1, 2013, because no agreement was reached. It lasted 16 days. Eventually, a deal was made to fund the government and temporarily raise the country's debt limit. The bill was approved, and Obama signed it into law.

This shutdown had a big impact. About 800,000 federal employees were sent home, and 1.3 million more worked without knowing when they would be paid. This cost the government millions in back pay. Tourism was also affected as national parks and museums closed. The U.S. economy slowed down during this time.

January 2018 Shutdown

The January 2018 shutdown was the first during President Donald Trump's first term. It was caused by disagreements over immigration policy. Democrats wanted to include funding for an immigration program called DACA in the budget bill. Republicans refused to pass such a bill.

The shutdown began on January 20, 2018, after lawmakers failed to agree. About 692,000 federal workers were sent home. After three days, a temporary deal was reached to fund the government for four weeks. This allowed for more talks on immigration. The shutdown ended on January 23.

The impact of this shutdown was not as severe as some others. Most government departments continued to function, and only some national parks closed.

December 2018–January 2019 Shutdown

This shutdown was the second during President Donald Trump's first term, lasting from December 2018 to January 2019. It was caused by disagreements over funding for a wall on the U.S.–Mexico border. Trump wanted $5.7 billion for the wall, but Democrats thought it was a waste of money.

The shutdown began on December 22, 2018, and became the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, lasting 35 days. About 380,000 federal workers were sent home, and 420,000 more worked without pay. This caused many problems, including delays in tax refunds, disruptions to FBI investigations, and airport closures due to staff shortages.

The shutdown ended on January 25, 2019, when Congress approved a plan to reopen the government for three weeks to allow for more negotiations. A major reason for ending the shutdown was significant flight delays caused by air traffic controller absences. The shutdown cost the government about $5 billion in lost revenue and back pay.

2025 Shutdown

In late September 2025, President Donald Trump and Democratic lawmakers met to try and prevent a government shutdown, but they did not reach an agreement. On October 1, 2025, the U.S. government shut down. This happened because Senate Democrats blocked a funding bill passed by the House of Representatives. Democrats wanted the bill to include an extension of healthcare subsidies from the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which Republicans did not include.

The funding bill was blocked 14 times. An agreement was finally reached on November 10, 2025, when the Senate passed a revised bill without the ACA subsidy extension. Republicans promised to hold a separate vote on the healthcare subsidies later. The House approved the bill on November 12, and President Trump signed it. This shutdown lasted 43 days, making it the longest in U.S. history at that time.

Day 20 Crisis and Food Assistance Shortage

By October 20, 2025, the shutdown had become very serious. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps millions of Americans buy food, faced a major funding shortage. The USDA warned that about 42 million people could lose their food assistance in November if the shutdown continued. Many states announced they would not be able to give out November SNAP benefits. This crisis happened as new rules for SNAP were also starting, which would have caused more people to lose benefits.

Federal Employee and Military Impact

During the 2025 shutdown, President Donald Trump planned to fire about 4,100 federal employees who were still in their training period. However, a federal judge temporarily stopped these firings, saying they might be against the law.

On October 17, 2025, federal workers missed their first full paycheck. By October 20, about 750,000 workers were sent home without pay, and 1.4 million essential workers continued to work without paychecks. By October 31, the shutdown had caused an estimated $7 billion loss to the economy. More than 4,000 federal workers faced permanent job losses.

Military members almost missed their October 15 paycheck, but the Pentagon found a way to pay them at the last minute. However, officials said they could not do this again, putting November paychecks at risk. All federal courts also faced funding problems, which could cause delays in trials and furloughs for court staff.

In November 2025, the U.S. Transportation Secretary warned that major flight delays were likely if the shutdown continued. This was due to many air traffic controllers being absent. Over one weekend, more than 16,700 flights were delayed, and 2,282 flights were canceled.

Legislative Impasse

By October 20, 2025, the Senate had voted 11 times on the same funding bill, but it failed each time. The House of Representatives had not voted on any new laws for over a month. The main disagreement was about healthcare. Republicans wanted to pass a simple funding bill, but Democrats insisted that any bill must include an extension of healthcare subsidies and stop cuts to Medicaid funding. They argued that millions of Americans would lose health insurance or see higher costs if the subsidies ended.

2026 Shutdowns

On January 31, 2026, about half of the federal government departments shut down. This happened because Congress did not pass funding laws for the new financial year. The Senate passed a funding bill just hours before the deadline, but the House could not vote in time. The shutdown ended on February 3, 2026, after the House voted for the bill and President Donald Trump signed it.

On February 14, 2026, a second shutdown happened, affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This shutdown lasted 76 days, with parts of DHS remaining closed until April 30, 2026.

See also

In Spanish: Cierre del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos para niños

• Loss of supply
• Budget crisis
• Deficit spending
• Cabinet crisis
• Constitutional crisis
• Gridlock (politics)
• Fiscal policy