A Recap of the Longest Government Shutdown

November 18th, 2025
Ayat Nayyer

After 43 days, the longest shutdown in U.S. history is now over.

Following Congress’s inability to decide on funding allocation for the fiscal year 2026, the impasse plunged the nation into a freeze on October 1, 2025, with Democrats and Republicans alike grappling for negotiations as multiple federal agencies were disrupted. Most notably, both parties were mired in a debate regarding the proper expansion of healthcare funds: the Republican-sponsored bill would extend “some health and veterans service programs,” while the Democrat-sponsored bill aimed to extend tax credits set to expire at the end of 2025. Even in the funding package approved this Wednesday to end the shutdown, Democrats were not satisfied, as the bill did not include any provisions addressing this very issue. With some Americans fearing a second shutdown—the current proposal only guarantees funding until January 30—and millions disturbed by the aftermath, it becomes imperative to analyze the ensuing consequences and what they could potentially mean in the short and long terms.

Most people were impacted in some way by the government shutdown, whether that be directly or indirectly. In fact, a survey conducted by the Partnership for Public Service revealed that nearly half of all Americans said it affected their communities, and one-quarter shared that same sentiment personally.

If there is one place where the shutdown’s ripples are being felt the most, though, it’s at the airport. During a shutdown, the government furloughs workers for services deemed “non-essential,” temporarily putting them on unpaid leave. Yet some workers, such as air traffic controllers, are termed essential and thus expected to report for work without pay. Since many called in sick during this shutdown, however, thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed, and air traffic controllers who did report for work were inundated with their duties. Consequently, the nation’s 40 busiest airports were understaffed, including Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), affecting approximately 5 million travelers. With the shortage of air traffic controllers already being a major problem, the shutdown has only exacerbated the crisis. In spite of this, the Federal Aviation Administration has lifted limits it had imposed on commercial flights due to safety concerns associated with the lack of air traffic controllers. Airline CEOs remain hopeful of continuing operations but fearful of being utilized as “political footballs” by the government.

But of chief concern for millions of Americans for over a month was whether they would be able to find meals at the dinner table. These families rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to provide benefits to alleviate the process of accessing food. In a back-and-forth battle between the courts, these payments were paused on November 1 after the Supreme Court granted the Trump administration the authority to temporarily withhold $4 billion in SNAP funding. Now that the shutdown is over, federal appropriations for SNAP have been restored through September 2026, per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The disbursement of these funds will not be homogeneous for all states, however, as some areas still might experience delays or partial payments.

Economically, the shutdown may have had negligible yet permanent repercussions. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated a loss of approximately $11 billion in GDP by the end of 2026. In terms of employment, at least 670,000 workers were furloughed in total and 730,000 continued working without pay. This includes 41% of health agency workers being furloughed, hampering the communication of public health-related information by organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which saw 64% of its staff furloughed alone. Hospitals nationwide faced delayed Medicare reimbursements and the halt of telehealth services, leading many patients to pay out of their pocket.

Though the acrimonious dispute between both factions may have reached a bipartisan solution for now, Democrats and Republicans still remain divided and insufficiently appeased on a number of issues. Exposing shifts within party lines, the shutdown has divided moderate Democrats and more progressive ones, with the former more generally siding with Republicans in the continuing resolution to reopen the government. Maine State Democrats criticized the deal as “capitulation,” believing that it tarnished the party’s primary talking point on healthcare affordability. Perhaps Maya MacGuineas, President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, put it best: “We have huge real problems in this country, and we are stuck in a perpetual messaging war between the two parties, instead of real attempts … to deal with our fiscal problems.” Evidently, the shutdown not only resulted in a “fiscal” stalemate, but rather a stalemate that has sent waves across numerous sectors. All we can do right now is rejoice in the fact that leaders nationwide have found compromise—and hope that it lasts for a long time, rather than being trumped by yet another cycle of political polarization.