History:

November 12th marked the end of the longest government shutdown in United States history, which began on October 1st of this year. Previously, the longest shutdown started on December 22, 2018, and lasted until January 25, 2019, for a total of 35 days. The 2025 shutdown rounded out at 43 days. 

Including this year, there have been 15 government shutdowns since 1980, with CNN reporting that the first federal shutdown occurred in 1976. The two longest have both happened under the Trump Administration, the first when Congress was split between Democrats and Republicans, and the second with a Republican controlled Congress, though Republicans hold a very narrow seat majority in the House of Representatives. 

Under Ronald Reagan, there were 8 shutdowns across his two terms. However, each was relatively short lived, the longest coming to an end after just three days. But as Congress has become more divided and partisan voting (voting strongly in support of one’s party) has increased, lapses in funding have continued for longer amounts of time. These longer shutdowns negatively affect both the economy and American people, among many other devastating consequences. 

Causes: 

Government shutdowns happen when Congress fails to pass a funding bill and because federal agencies are not allowed to spend or promise any money without some kind of approval from Congress, such as an appropriation. Appropriations officially approve and give funds for specific reasons. There are 12 annual appropriation bills that Congress must pass every year — if only some are approved, this is a partial shutdown. None being passed results in a complete shutdown, as in the case of the Oct. 1st shutdown. 

Both parts of Congress must approve a proposed funding plan, which then has to be sent to the president for either rejection or approval, wherein the latter case it becomes law. A temporary plan can be passed to push back the possibility of a shutdown, but that was not possible this time. 

One of the major reasons behind this year’s shutdown was Democrats’ refusal to accept a bill that did not ensure the continuation of tax credits that help make health insurance more affordable for low income Americans. 

Effects:

There are several different effects that come with a government shutdown, particularly a lengthy and complete one. And while some agencies or departments seemingly got back to work immediately, other aspects of the government will take longer to get up and running. 

Starting off, many federal workers were hit hard by the shutdown. Most of those deemed ‘non-essential’ were forced to stay home from work, meaning temporarily leave with no pay. Others were told to continue working, but also received no pay for their labor. More detrimental, however, was the attempt by many agencies to lay off many of their workers — which was blocked by a federal judge, for the time being (until at least January, as provided by the bill that ended the shutdown). 

Contractors who work for the government also saw a loss of income, but while federal workers will receive backpay for the past 6 weeks, these outside workers will get nothing. 

National Park and Forest employees were also furloughed, leaving many of the country’s protected lands partially open to the public, but with no one to prevent possible harm. Thus, many parks will have to address damages and ‘rebuild’ the experience. While many parks remained semi-open, services like information centers were closed, since there was no staff to man them, leaving many visitors confused or lacking the full experience. 

Airlines, too, were impacted by the government shutdown. Even though air traffic controllers were told to continue to report to work, many called out sick due to the fact that they would not be working for pay. This shortage of workers caused many flights to be delayed or even cancelled. Eventually, the FAA called for there to be a cutback in the number of flights going in and out of major airports. This came leading up to one of the most traveled holidays of the year, and while the shutdown has ended and employees are returning to work, it could take some time for everything to return to normal. 

The potential loss of funding for SNAP, a food assistance program utilized by millions of Americans, was another major concern during this shutdown. Trump had originally stated that he and his administration would pause funding for SNAP, but several rulings required that at the minimum, partial funding had to be provided. Due to the reopening of the government, benefits will be reinstated, though that could take differing amounts of time depending on state, so payments may not have been seen immediately. 

The bill that ended the shutdown is only a temporary fix, as full funding of the government is only guaranteed until January of 2026. The fight over tax credits to lower health insurance will continue and voting on that topic will occur in December. 

Author’s Note: Everyone can be affected in some way by government closures. On a recent trip to Puerto Rico (a US territory and thus a recipient of federal funding) during the shutdown, my family and I visited National Parks and historical sites, where we found many aspects shut down or running improperly, since there was no staff on present. While seemingly trivial, this could leave land unprotected, as we watched many people cross closed off  areas. These kinds of effects are important to keep in mind as we witness extended closures.