The Longest U.S. Government Shutdown In History

The current U.S. government shutdown began when President Trump refused to approve a budget unless it included $5.7 billion to fund a wall along the border with Mexico. The Democrats are staunchly opposed to the proposal and the resulting record-breaking shutdown is now entering its 23rd day. 800,000 federal workers are caught in the middle and under normal circumstances, most of them would have been paid on Friday. That has not happened, however, and countless families have missed out on an important paycheck.

Since the 1970s, the U.S. has experienced many shutdowns with the previous longest occurring in late 1995 and early 1996 under President Clinton, according to The New York Times. That was due to a disagreement between Clinton and Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich over federal spending levels. It was unusually long at 21 days and kickstarted a new era of deep bipartisanship, infighting and gridlock that gained traction ever since and contributed to the current record-breaking impasse.