The Government Is Now Shut Down, but How Long Will the Shut Down Last This Time?

At midnight on Oct. 1, 2025, the U.S. government shut down. This is the first government shutdown since 2018, and given that it has a real impact on things like air travel, many are wondering how long this one might last.

Government shut downs can last for days or weeks, but predicting the length can sometimes be a challenge. Here's what we know about how long this one is expected to take.

It's impossible to know exactly how long the government will be shut down. This shut down began because the Senate needs 60 votes to pass the kind of omnibus bill that would keep the government open, according to the BBC. That vote failed, earning just 55 votes, with most Republicans voting for the measure and most Democrats voting against it. Democrats have voted to shut the government down because it is one of their few ways to advocate for the policies they want.

Right now, the crux of the disagreement is around various cuts to healthcare spending, and both sides seem to have dug their heels in and suggested that they won't budge until the other side does.

That makes it difficult to know exactly when the shut down will end, but that end will come when 60 senators have agreed on a single funding bill that they can pass and send to the president.

The most recent shutdown was in 2018, and that one lasted 35 days and was the longest on record. Both sides seem pretty deeply entrenched, and the only way for the shutdown for end is for one side to open negotiations with the idea of giving a little bit to the other. Shutting down the government is also a political gamble for both parties, so one thing they will likely be monitoring is how this shutdown is viewed by the public.

Although government shut downs have not, in the past, necessitated lay offs, including during Donald Trump's first administration, his team is now arguing that people in "non-essential" roles inside the government will have to be laid off. Ordinarily, most workers return to their jobs as normal at the end of a shutdown, but Trump and his administration have been working to transform the federal government since taking office.

Among the changes Trump has tried to implement have been a hollowing out of some key federal agencies, and it looks like the administration might be looking to use the shutdown and lack of funding as an excuse to execute its existing goals. It remains to be seen exactly what those layoffs might look like, though, or when they might start to occur, according to the BBC.

Regardless of what the administration does, though, Congress it's the only branch of government with the power to end this shutdown. As for when they will, it's anyone's guess.