The federal government has been shut down for 26 days as of Monday, October 27, 2025. The shutdown began at 12:01 a.m. EDT on October 1, 2025, after Congress failed to pass funding for fiscal year 2026.
Latest Status and Why the Shutdown Matters
This shutdown now ranks as the second-longest in U.S. history, surpassed only by the 35-day lapse in late 2018/early 2019.
Key points:
- The shutdown commenced October 1.
- Roughly 900,000 federal employees have been furloughed, with about 2 million still working but unpaid.
- Many federal programs and services face disruption, including at agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.
- Social-safety-net programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), are in jeopardy; states are warning that benefits for November may be delayed or paused.
- Key hiring, research activities, and federal inspections are postponed, affecting travel, environmental enforcement, and public health.
Why It Has Lasted This Long
Several factors are keeping the shutdown going:
- Neither the Senate nor the House has passed a “clean” continuing resolution to fund all agencies.
- The impasse centers not only on the total funding amounts but also on policy issues such as health‐insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and cuts to foreign aid.
- Each side holds leverage: one insists on policy concessions before reopening the government; the other refuses to concede without full funding.
- Time is compounding the effects: each additional week without agreement deepens the economic and operational strain.
Where It Stands in Historical Context
Here’s how this shutdown compares to previous major federal funding lapses:
| Government Shutdown | Duration | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | ~26 days (ongoing) | 2025 | Already the second-longest recorded shutdown. |
| December 1995 – January 1996 | ~21 days | 1995-96 | At the time, the longest on record. |
| December 22 2018 – January 25 2019 | 35 days | 2018-19 | The longest in U.S. history. |
Because it now exceeds the ~21-day mark of 1995-96, the current shutdown has surpassed that earlier benchmark and only the 35-day 2018-19 duration remains longer.
What to Watch Next
Important upcoming questions:
- When will lawmakers agree to reopen the government? There’s no definitive end date yet.
- Will this shutdown become the longest on record? If it passes 35 days, it would set a new record.
- How will the impacts deepen? With missed paychecks, delayed benefits, suspended programs and growing economic ripples, the human and fiscal cost continues to climb.
Summary
So, how long has the government been shut down? The answer: 26 days, and counting. The funding stalemate remains unresolved, and the consequences for federal employees, government services and many Americans are mounting rapidly.
Stay tuned for further developments—and feel free to comment with how this shutdown is affecting you or your community.