With the midterm elections concluded and a new Democrat-led Congress set to be sworn in on January 4, the current legislature is working to avert a government shutdown set to begin after December 11.
Earlier this summer, the House of Representatives approved a stopgap measure extending current funding levels through the December deadline, seeking to postpone the funding battle until after the midterm elections. The government had previously been scheduled to exhaust its funds after September 30.
Disagreements over spending priorities could once again leave the government facing a shutdown. Lawmakers face a tight deadline, with little time to negotiate a longer-term spending deal before the extension expires on December 11. The lame-duck session—the period between the November elections and the start of the new Congress—gives outgoing lawmakers one final opportunity to reach a long-term agreement or extend the deadline into 2027.
Some Senate Democrats have threatened to withhold support for a deal unless it includes restrictions on funding President Donald Trump’s military operations in Iran. Meanwhile, Trump is urging Senate leaders to use budget reconciliation to fund an additional $350 billion in supplemental defense spending.
However, leaders in both parties are publicly supporting a short-term stopgap that would keep the government funded until after the current lame-duck session ends.
How does a government shutdown happen?
Every year, Congress is supposed to pass 12 spending bills to keep the government’s lights on. These appropriations bills fund programs already approved by Congress, including defense, the IRS, food assistance, veterans’ benefits, and national parks.
The deadline to fund programs for the next fiscal year is always October 1. Without passing appropriations bills or approving a stopgap that extends the deadline, the government shuts down.
In recent funding cycles, Congress has relied on multiple short-term continuing resolutions to keep the government temporarily running.
What led to previous shutdowns?
In 2025, the government shut down for the longest period in U.S. history (October 1 to November 12, 43 days), while this year was marked by the longest partial shutdown ever (February 14 to April 30, 76 days). Congress did not pass the funding bills in 2025 because the two parties were deadlocked over Democrats’ ultimately unsuccessful efforts to permanently extend expiring Obamacare subsidies and roll back recent Medicaid cuts in the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
A second shutdown—this one partial—began on February 14. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shut down after lawmakers failed to reach a deal to reform Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactics. DHS funding became a flashpoint following the fatal shootings of Renée Good on January 7 by an ICE agent and Alex Pretti on January 24 by a CBP agent, both in Minneapolis. The DHS shutdown followed a four-day partial shutdown that ended February 3.
On April 30, the House passed a bill approved by the Senate to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The deal fully funded all DHS offices with the exceptions of ICE and Border Patrol. Democrats supported the deal, despite it lacking any of the restrictions on the two agencies that they had been demanding throughout the shutdown.
How long did the 2025 government shutdown last?
At 43 days, the 2025 government shutdown was the longest in history. There have been 22 shutdowns since 1976, and most are short-lived—a few hours or days, at most.
Before then, there had not been a shutdown since 2018–2019. That shutdown, which lasted 35 days, arose in a dispute over funding for Trump’s border wall in his first term.
Before that, there was a 16-day shutdown in 2013, as negotiations over the Affordable Care Act dragged on. In 1995 and 1996, two shutdowns totaled 26 days.
What happens when the government shuts down?
Federal workers bear the brunt of the impact from government shutdowns.
During a shutdown, there are ripple effects on the delivery of government services and programs.
What’s affected immediately:
- What will keep running, to a point:
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- What won’t be affected:
- Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images News via Getty Images)
