U.S. Government Shutdown Becomes Second-Longest in History

The U.S. federal government shutdown officially became the second-longest in the country’s history on Wednesday as it entered its 22nd day with no resolution in sight, surpassing the 1995–1996 funding lapse.

Since the fiscal year began on October 1, Senate Democrats have repeatedly blocked Republican-backed efforts to reopen the government, with nearly all members of the caucus opposing a House-passed stopgap bill to fund agencies through November 21.

The Senate is set to reconvene Wednesday for another attempt to end the impasse, as Democratic leaders continue to push for negotiations with President Trump.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged Trump to meet with Democratic leaders to resolve the health care dispute and end what he described as the “Trump shutdown.” Schumer told reporters, “We urged him to meet with us, and we said we’ll set up an appointment with him any time, any place before he leaves.”

However, House Speaker Mike Johnson has insisted that high-level discussions will not happen until Democrats vote to reopen the government. In a post on X, Johnson stated that Trump “confirmed he is ready and willing for the three of us to meet with Leader Jeffries and Senator Schumer as soon as Schumer reopens the government.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune echoed this stance, telling reporters, “I don’t know what there is to negotiate. Open up the government first.” He added that Republicans plan to keep pushing votes on the seven-week funding bill, believing Democrats will “eventually… come around.”

At a White House gathering with congressional Republicans, President Trump likened Democrats’ refusal to “extortion,” urging them to “vote for the clean bipartisan [continuing resolution] and reopen our government — it’s got to be reopened right now.”

Schumer has demanded that any funding bill include an extension of enhanced pandemic health insurance subsidies for roughly 22 million people on Affordable Care Act exchanges. The White House countered that these benefits do not expire until December 31, allowing negotiations to continue after the government reopens.

The shutdown’s growing length has serious implications. About 750,000 federal workers have been furloughed, and the Trump administration has started procedures to permanently lay off thousands. If the stalemate continues, federal employees will miss their first full paychecks on Friday, and military personnel may go unpaid beginning October 31.

This shutdown surpasses the 21-day closure during Bill Clinton’s presidency in 1995–1996. The longest shutdown on record remains the 35-day closure in 2018–2019, which also occurred under President Trump’s first term.