Here’s a timeline of all 21 U.S. federal government shutdowns since 1976, with dates, duration, presidents, and causes:

 Here’s a timeline of all 21 U.S. federal government shutdowns since 1976, with dates, duration, presidents, and causes:

⸻

📊 U.S. Government Shutdowns (1976–2019)

1.Sep 30 – Oct 11, 1976 — 10 days — Gerald Ford — Funding dispute over spending cuts
2.Sep 30 – Oct 13, 1977 — 12 days — Jimmy Carter — Abortion funding limits
3.Oct 31 – Nov 9, 1977 — 8 days — Jimmy Carter — Abortion funding limits
4.Nov 30 – Dec 9, 1977 — 8 days — Jimmy Carter — Abortion funding limits
5.Sep 30 – Oct 18, 1978 — 18 days — Jimmy Carter — Defense funding & abortion limits
6.Sep 30 – Oct 12, 1979 — 11 days — Jimmy Carter — Defense spending & abortion funding
7.Nov 20 – Nov 23, 1981 — 2 days — Ronald Reagan — Cuts to defense & domestic spending
8.Sep 30 – Oct 2, 1982 — 1 day — Ronald Reagan — Dispute over MX missile & Nicaraguan aid
9.Dec 17 – Dec 21, 1982 — 3 days — Ronald Reagan — House vs Senate spending differences
10.Nov 10 – Nov 14, 1983 — 3 days — Ronald Reagan — Funding for MX missile
11.Sep 30 – Oct 3, 1984 — 2 days — Ronald Reagan — Disputes over crime bill & water projects
12.Oct 3 – Oct 5, 1984 — 1 day — Ronald Reagan — Continuing disputes from above
13.Oct 16 – Oct 18, 1986 — 1 day — Ronald Reagan — Welfare & water projects
14.Dec 18 – Dec 20, 1987 — 1 day — Ronald Reagan — Contra aid & defense
15.Oct 5 – Oct 9, 1990 — 3 days — George H.W. Bush — Budget deficit reduction & taxes
16.Nov 13 – Nov 19, 1995 — 5 days — Bill Clinton — Medicare, education, environment cuts
17.Dec 15, 1995 – Jan 6, 1996 — 21 days — Bill Clinton — Balanced budget disagreement
18.Sep 30 – Oct 1, 2013 — 16 days — Barack Obama — Affordable Care Act funding (Obamacare)
19.Jan 20 – Jan 22, 2018 — 3 days — Donald Trump — Immigration & DACA
20.Feb 9, 2018 — <1 day — Donald Trump — Budget caps & military funding
21.Dec 22, 2018 – Jan 25, 2019 — 35 days — Donald Trump — Border wall funding

⸻

✅ Total: 21 shutdowns.
⚠️ Longest: 35 days (2018–2019).
⚡ Most shutdowns: During Reagan (8 total, though many were short).

@insiderpaper