how long will the government shutdown

The current U.S. government shutdown began on October 1, 2025, due to a failure in Congress to pass a funding bill for the 2026 fiscal year. The length of the shutdown is uncertain at this stage, and it depends on the negotiations between the parties. Historically, the longest government shutdown lasted 35 days in 2018-2019, ending only when the risk to U.S. air travel became critical. Given the current intense political standoff, the shutdown could potentially last for several days or longer, but no official end date has been established yet. Both Republicans and Democrats are blaming each other, with key contentious points involving health insurance subsidies and federal spending levels. Essential services continue to operate, but many agencies are affected by furloughs or reduced operations.