Here’s how many times the federal government has shut down
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been corrected to make it clear that social security payments will go out during a shutdown.
There have been 21 federal government shutdowns in the last five decades, and Congress has until Sept. 30 to avert the 22nd.
A government shutdown would lead to the suspension of nonessential federal functions and result in millions of federal employees not receiving pay. Social Security and other mandatory government payments would still go out, though functions for various parts of the government could be affected.
With the deadline looming, divisions among House Republicans have left Congress without a clear path forward.
Here are the 21 times the federal government has experienced a shutdown.
Year: 2019
President: Donald Trump
The most recent federal government shutdown lasted for 35 days from December 2018 to January 2019, the longest in U.S. history. The shutdown happened due to Trump’s demands for funding a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, which Democratic lawmakers strongly opposed.
The shutdown came to an end after Trump agreed to sign a short-term funding bill to reopen the government.
Year: 2018
President: Donald Trump
The second of the three shutdowns to happen during Trump’s presidency only lasted several hours. It happened due to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) repeatedly blocking the Senate from voting on a two-year budget agreement, which includes an extension of federal funding.
The Senate was able to pass the bill the next day.
Year: 2018
President: Donald Trump
This government shutdown lasted for three days. It stemmed from Democrats’ refusal to vote on a spending measure unless Congress had an agreement to ensure protections for young children under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program, which protects unauthorized migrants who came to the U.S. as kids.
Year: 2013
President: Barack Obama
The only shutdown to happen during Obama’s term at the White House lasted for 17 days. The almost three-week government shutdown stemmed from House Republicans trying to push for a spending resolution that would have defunded the Affordable Care Act.
Year: 1996
President Bill Clinton
The second and final government shutdown of the Clinton administration lasted for 21 days, the previous record-holder for the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
The shutdown stemmed from differences between Clinton and House Republicans on whether to use data from the Congressional Budget Office or from the Office of Management and Budget to figure out if the White House budget plan would balance, according to Vox.
Year: 1995
President: Bill Clinton
The first government shutdown to happen under Clinton lasted for five days, as Clinton vetoed a continuing resolution from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) that included increases to Medicare premiums, rollbacks of environmental regulations and a requirement to balance the budget within seven years.
Year: 1990
President: George H.W. Bush
The only shutdown to happen under the elder Bush’s administration lasted for four days, as the then president vetoed a stopgap spending bill, according to The New York Times.
Year: 1987
President: Ronald Reagan
This government shutdown only lasted a day, when Reagan and Democrats couldn’t see eye-to-eye on potential funding for the “Contra” militants in Nicaragua. Democrats also pushed for reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, a Federal Communications Commission rule which requires broadcasters to give people equal time to share their perspectives on political issues.
Year: 1986
President: Ronald Reagan
The penultimate of four one-day shutdowns — and eight overall — under Reagan came when House Democrats tried to push for an expansion for the then Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, which the president and a Republican-controlled Senate pushed back on.
Year: 1984
President: Ronald Reagan
A one-day shutdown ended once Democrats and Reagan evened out differences on the crime bill, civil rights bill and the water projects proposal. Democrats also agreed to temporary funding to Nicaragua’s anti-communist Contra guerrillas.
Year: 1984
President: Ronald Reagan
This shutdown, which lasted for two days, coincided with the one that happened a few days later. House Democrats at the time pushed for water projects and legislation that would’ve reversed a Supreme Court ruling allowing exemptions from Title IX of the Civil Rights Act for colleges and universities that didn’t receive federal funding directly but whose students did. A three-day spending extension was passed to give more time for both sides to negotiate a deal.
Year: 1983
President: Ronald Reagan
This shutdown lasted for three days as Reagan and House Democrats butted heads over issues such as education funding, more aid to Israel and Egypt, less aid to Syria and El Salvador and less defense spending.
Year: 1982
President: Ronald Reagan
This shutdown lasted for three days as Reagan threatened to veto the House and Senate’s push for a public works jobs program, in an effort to create more jobs in the country. The House also opposed funding for the MX and Pershing II missile programs, programs that were major defense priorities for Reagan.
Year: 1982
President: Ronald Reagan
This shutdown only lasted for a day, as Congress failed to pass a spending bill on time due to prior social engagements, including when Reagan invited all Congress members to a barbecue at the White House.
Year: 1981
President: Ronald Reagan
The first of eight government shutdowns to happen during the Reagan administration lasted for two days, as Reagan vetoed a spending bill because it didn’t have enough spending cuts.
Year: 1979
President: Jimmy Carter
This government shutdown lasted for 11 days, when the House and Senate chambers debated on higher wages for congressional and civil service staff and funding for abortion in the case of rape and incest.
Year: 1978
President: Jimmy Carter
This 17-day shutdown, the longest of the Carter administration’s five, began when Carter vetoed a defense spending bill because it funded a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which he thought was wasteful, as well as other proposed projects he was opposed to.
Year: 1977
President: Jimmy Carter
This shutdown lasted for eight days as Democrats and Republicans debated over abortion funding.
Year: 1977
President: Jimmy Carter
This shutdown lasted for eight days as Carter had to sign a short-term extension as Congress was still debating over abortion funding.
Year: 1977
President: Jimmy Carter
The first of five shutdowns to happen during the Carter administration lasted for 12 days, as the Senate and House chambers disagreed over abortion funding, with the Senate wanting to use Medicaid pay to help fund abortions in cases of rape and cases of rape, incest, and when the health of the mother is in danger. In contrast, the House insisted on keeping the stricter ban.
This was the first of the three shutdowns to occur during the Carter administration that were referred to as the “abortion shutdowns.”
Year: 1976
President: Gerald Ford
The first ever government shutdown, which lasted for 11 days, occurred after Ford vetoed a funding bill for the Departments of Labor and Health, Education, and Welfare, later divided and known as the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services.
This story was updated at 12:22 p.m.
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