As the 21st government shutdown that involved furloughs since 1976 enters its fourth day, it’s worth examining the longest shutdown in US history.
The longest was also the most recent. It occurred in 2018-2019, when Donald Trump was president for the first time. At 35 days, it’s a distant first to the second place event, in 1996-1996, which was 21 days. In both cases, Republicans held the House and the Senate.
That record shutdown happened because Trump was insisting on $5.7 billion to build a wall along the southwest US border with Mexico. The 2018-2019 shutdown cost taxpayers $5,000,000,000.
The current shutdown centers on funding for health care:
[Democrats] want to see an extension of expiring tax credits which make health insurance cheaper for millions of Americans, and for a reversal of Trump’s cuts to Medicaid, a government healthcare programme used by millions of elderly, disabled and low-income people.
The House-passed budget lets health insurance tax credits expire at the end of the year. According to KFF, “Without the enhanced premium tax credits, annual premium payments in 2024 would have averaged $1,593 (over 75% higher than the actual $888). More recent data have not been released.”
Republicans blame the current shutdown on Democrats and refuse to negotiate on health care costs. The House-generated budget was solely a product of Republicans.
However, Republicans control the Senate. As Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) points out, “If Republican Senators wanted to pass the [budget continuing resolution]… they could, by using the nuclear option.”
The nuclear option would “lower the threshold for advancing legislation from 60 votes to a simple majority of 50,” in other words, neuter the filibuster. Republicans and Democrats have done this in the past for judicial nominees.
Republican messaging is simple but not true, in other words, a lie. Vice President J.D. Vance has taken the lead on Trump’s messaging:
.@POTUS on a shutdown: "They want to give health care to illegal immigrants, which will destroy health care for everybody else in our country — and I didn't see them bend even a little bit when I said we can't do that." pic.twitter.com/qt9WFKvPuR
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 30, 2025
[P]rovisions related to limiting immigrant eligibility for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicare, and subsidized Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace coverage only impact lawfully present immigrants, as undocumented immigrants already are ineligible for federally-funded coverage in these programs under longstanding federal policy.
Although it usually takes far more words to combat a lie than it takes to blast out one on social media, according to The Washington Post, “significantly more Americans blame President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans for the shutdown than Democrats.”
Despite the unpopularity of the shutdown, Trump and his Budget chief Russ Vought, a Project 2025 author, have “canceled projects total $8 billion in lawfully approved funding targeting 16 Democratic-led states, and impacting 136 Congressional Districts, 108 of which are represented by Democrats and 28 by Republicans.” Congress has the power of the purse. Trump’s authority to effectively line-item veto (which is illegal) is winding its way through the courts.
Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com