The 2025 US Government Shutdown is the Longest in US History

Question

Many articles have said this 2025 government shutdown was the longest in history, beating Trump's own record from his first administration

Answer 1

This claim is true, 

The 2025 government shutdown was the longest in US history lasting 43 days. The previous record for longest shutdown was 34 days in 2018-19 during Trump’s first presidency. Many news outlets are covering this like USAFacts, NPR, and Partnership for Public Service are all reporting on this and the negative repercussions of the shutdown. The Partnership for Public Service reported that due to the shutdown Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, who provides food assistance to 42 million people froze causing states to scramble to provide aid for these people in need. They also report that Medicare and Medicaid patients are being affected negatively due to them not being able to make Telehealth appointments.

Sources:

USAFacts: https://usafacts.org/articles/government-shutdown-2025-what-to-know/ 

NPR: https://www.npr.org/2025/11/15/nx-s1-5609367/trump-government-shutdown-what-to-know-longest 

Partnership for Public Service: https://ourpublicservice.org/blog/the-government-shutdown-is-now-the-longest-ever-the-public-is-paying-the-price/ 

Answer 2

The claim that the 2025 US Government Shutdown was the longest in US history is true. The shutdown started on October 1, 2025 and lasted 44 days which was the longest government shutdown the US has seen since the 33 day long shutdown in 2018-19. Both of these shutdown have happened under President Trump. The shutdown caused issues for federal employees, public services (like airports, national parks, and food inspections), and the overall economy. 

Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-house-vote-deal-end-longest-government-shutdown-history-2025-11-12/

PBS.org: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/the-government-shutdown-will-impact-an-already-struggling-economy-from-lost-paychecks-to-canceled-flights

Comments

I really like the way you formed this claim, but can you provide a more in-depth explanation on what type of issues this government shutdown had, and how it affected federal workers and public services?

Answer 3

The claim that the most recent government shutdown was the longest in history is true. It is clear that many reliable sources can prove this claim. The first source that I started with was an analysis that was published by NPR: https://www.npr.org/2025/11/15/nx-s1-5609367/trump-government-shutdown-what-to-know-longest

The shutdown first occurred due to the Democratic base urging leaders to fight harder for the Democrats. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries refused to continue funding the government.

Although this is the longest government shutdown, Democrats did not hold out the shutdown any longer due to President Trump showing no signs of negotiation. As a result of the shutdown, many people had been suffering. This is another reason as to why it ended.

Another article from BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crrj1znp0pyo, is another reliable source that has expressed that the most recent 43-day government shutdown is the longest in history.

Answer 4

Yes, this is actually true, as the 2025 government shutdown is the longest in U.S history. According to USAfacts, the government shutdown has reached 35 days by November 5, 2025, surpassing the previous record of the longest government shutdown of 34 days in the 2018-2019 government shutdown. While the whole government shutdown reached 43 days, making it the longest in U.S. history, before the funding bill was finally signed on November 12 (Reuters, 2025). While the Associated Press emphasized the consequential effects of this government shutdown, stating "idled hundreds of thousands of federal workers and disrupted essential government services across the country," it shows how much the government shutdown affects us (The associated press, 2025)