The last U.S. government shutdown began at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on October 1, 2025. This shutdown happened due to the failure of both Republican and Democratic funding bills to reach the necessary votes in the Senate, making it the first government shutdown in six years since the previous long shutdown in 2018-2019.
Before this recent shutdown, the longest and most notable one lasted 35 days, from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, during President Donald Trump's first term. That shutdown occurred over disagreements about funding for the U.S.-Mexico border wall and was the longest in U.S. history.
In summary:
- Most recent shutdown started on October 1, 2025.
- Previous major shutdown lasted from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019.
This recent shutdown reflects ongoing partisan budget disputes similar to prior shutdown patterns.
