Trump bears responsibility for the two longest federal government shutdowns

As of November 4, 2025, 11 funding gaps have led to federal employees being furloughed.

President Donald Trump bears responsibility for the two most significant shutdowns, including the 35-day shutdown of 2018–2019, when a dispute over expanding barriers on the U.S.–Mexico border during his first presidency, and the current one, caused by Republicans’ refusal to bargain with Democrats over severe spending cuts that could leave millions of Americans without health care coverage.

Senators refused to budge once funding ran out to pay for the military and Trump imposed a freeze on benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps 42 million Americans buy food.

Many observers suspect that the shutdown is providing cover for Trump, who insists that his administration will not release files from the FBI investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “There are occasional talks between Democrats and Republicans on this issue, but our Republican colleagues don’t seem to be offering anything different than what their leadership has had so far.”

With Republicans in control of the White House, the US Senate, and the US House of Representatives, Democrats have been shut out of decision-making in the nation’s capital.

The power of the purse in the United States belongs exclusively to Congress, a fundamental principle etched into the Constitution.

This process begins with an appropriation bill, which must pass both the House and Senate before being sent to the President to be signed into law. When this process breaks down, the government shuts down.

These shutdowns occur during political impasses over spending, whether from a presidential veto or a deadlock within Congress.

While a stopgap measure called a continuing resolution can temporarily extend funding, it too can be blocked, leading to a lapse.

The legal mechanism that forces a shutdown is the Antideficiency Act. For over a century, its power was muted; agencies would often minimize operations but not close.

This changed decisively in the early 1980s under Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti. His legal opinions interpreted the Act with new severity, declaring that during a funding gap, most federal operations must cease.

Civiletti’s interpretation created the modern shutdown. It established a narrow “life and property” exception, allowing only employees who protect human safety or critical assets to work—and to do so without pay until funding is restored.

What was once a procedural hiccup became a weapon of political brinksmanship, turning budget disagreements into immediate, widespread operational crises.