The US government shutdown has lasted for 36 days, making it the longest shutdown in US history. This means that the two longest government shutdowns in US political history have both occurred during President Trump's term—the previous record of 35 days was set during his first term in 2019.



For the past five weeks, the U.S. Congress has made virtually no progress, with Republicans and Democrats continuing to blame each other for the deadlock. The Senate has rejected a Republican-proposed temporary funding bill 14 times, which aimed to keep the government running until November 21.

Democrats are insisting on extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies, while Trump and Republicans have said they will refuse to negotiate until the government reopens.

Meanwhile, the impact of the government shutdown on the American people is intensifying.

With funding cut off and the government only committing to partial payments, 42 million Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program are facing hardship.

Since the open enrollment period began on November 1, health insurance premiums for those enrolled under the Affordable Care Act have surged, with some cases seeing increases of up to 300%.

With air traffic controllers across the country working without pay, airports are experiencing widespread delays due to staff shortages. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that a continued shutdown could trigger "massive chaos," and some airspace may be forced to close.

Shutdown Timeline

The following are the key milestones in the government shutdown to date:

October 1: The federal government officially shut down at 00:01 local time after both Republican and Democratic government funding proposals failed to pass the Senate at the last minute. The Democratic proposal included an extension of Medicare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, while the Republican proposal advocated maintaining current spending levels until November 1.

October 10: The Trump administration began laying off thousands of federal employees. Affected departments include the Departments of Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security, and the Treasury. Those laid off include personnel working in substance abuse and mental health services, and special education workers.

October 14: The shutdown entered its second week with no progress, and House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted that "this will be one of the longest shutdowns in American history." The House has been in recess throughout the shutdown since Republican lawmakers passed a seven-week simple appropriations bill in mid-September.

October 15: The U.S. Department of Defense announced that it has allocated $8 billion from existing funds to ensure that troop salaries are paid as usual and are not affected by the government shutdown.

October 24: More than 500,000 federal employees failed to receive their first full paycheck on time. Days later, the president of the nation's largest federal employees' union publicly called on lawmakers to pass a short-term spending bill to end the shutdown, a statement that Republicans used to put more pressure on Democrats.

October 30: President Trump, fresh from his trip to Asia, returned to the stalled political stage, calling on Senate Republicans to repeal obstruction rules and unilaterally restart government operations. However, this call was quickly and decisively rejected by Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

November 1: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ran out of funds, leaving 42 million Americans in dire straits (following a federal judge's ruling, the Trump administration subsequently announced it would use emergency funds to provide subsidies, but only a portion of the amount). Meanwhile, enrollment for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) opened, and health insurance premiums are expected to surge next year.

November 4: The Senate failed to pass a simple short-term funding bill for the 14th time, which essentially confirms that this government shutdown will break the historical record for length.

Subsequent developments

The key question now is whether Trump will get more involved personally to end the government shutdown.

When asked about the matter, White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt said on Tuesday that Trump had made his position clear and reiterated his call for Republicans to abolish obstruction of proceedings.

Senate Majority Leader Thune had previously stated that he did not believe there would be enough Republican senators to support changing this traditional Senate rule.

Behind the scenes, an informal group of ordinary lawmakers from both parties is actively consulting in an attempt to find a way to break the deadlock in the government shutdown.

Some Republican senators have indicated they believe they can gain more support from moderate Democrats after Tuesday's election—although Senate Democrats have not yet commented on this.

The core rhetoric of party leaders remained consistent throughout the shutdown. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer emphasized in his speech that both parties should engage in serious negotiations on healthcare issues and made it clear that Democrats would continue to push for the extension of these tax credits .

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he hopes Democrats will wake up this week and vote to reopen the government. The Senate leader admitted, "I still don't understand what they're trying to achieve with this shutdown."

Meanwhile, the short-term funding bill is expiring, providing the government with operating funds only until November 21. Thune indicated that the deadline must be revised, sparking further controversy regarding a new deadline.