The shutdowns of 1995–96, 2013, 2018 and 2018–19 were all tied to lapses in federal appropriations, but they differed in duration, scope and documented effects. The longest of these was the partial shutdown spanning December 2018 and January 2019: the Congressional Research Service (CRS) counts 35 days. The FY1996 period included two separate shutdowns, not one continuous event. A shutdown can furlough some federal employees while other legally excepted work continues, and a shutdown’s length alone does not measure its impact.
What a government shutdown means
Federal agencies generally cannot incur obligations or make payments without available appropriations under the Antideficiency Act, except where legal exceptions apply. When funding expires, agencies follow shutdown procedures for activities without another source of funding or an applicable exception. As a result, a funding gap does not necessarily affect every agency or service in the same way. A short or weekend gap may not trigger full shutdown procedures. The Government Accountability Office’s overview of appropriations lapses says there were 20 shutdowns with at least one full day without available funding from FY1977 through FY2019.
Employees may be furloughed, while employees whose duties are legally excepted may continue working, sometimes without immediate pay. The scale of the effects depends on which appropriations lapse, what activities have alternative funding or legal authority, and how long the lapse lasts.
How the shutdown periods compare
| Period | Cause and scope | Duration and employee figures | How funding resumed |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 1995 | A continuing resolution expired, and President William J. Clinton vetoed another continuing resolution. | Five full days, according to CRS. CRS’s 2024 summary reports about 800,000 federal employees furloughed. | A continuing resolution was enacted November 20, 1995. CRS, Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources. |
| December 1995–January 1996 | A continuing resolution enacted November 20 expired at the end of December 15. | 21 full days, according to CRS. CRS estimated 284,000 employees furloughed on January 2, 1996, while 475,000 excepted employees worked without pay. | Three short-term continuing resolutions were enacted January 6, 1996; later CRs bridged the remaining period until the FY1996 omnibus appropriations act was enacted April 26. CRS, Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects. |
| October 2013 | None of the 12 regular FY2014 appropriations bills had been enacted. A narrow automatic continuing resolution separately funded certain military pay and activities, but did not prevent the broader partial shutdown. | 16 full days, according to CRS. OMB reported that about 850,000 federal employees were furloughed for part of the period, as reported by GAO. | Congress enacted a funding measure October 17, 2013. GAO, 2013 Government Shutdown. |
| January 2018 | The third continuing resolution for FY2018 expired at midnight January 19. Furloughs began over the weekend and continued through Monday. | The lapse ran from the January 19 funding expiration until a continuing resolution was enacted January 22. CRS identifies a separate, comparatively brief February 2018 shutdown; its exact duration and operational effects are not stated here. | A fourth continuing resolution, P.L. 115-120, was enacted January 22. CRS, Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources. |
| December 2018–January 2019 | Five of the 12 regular FY2019 appropriations bills had been enacted; the other seven were temporarily funded by continuing resolutions. The second CR expired at the end of December 21 without an agreement to extend it, causing a partial shutdown. | 35 days, by CRS’s accounting. | A continuing resolution signed January 25, 2019, ended the lapse. CRS, Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources. |
Durations can vary with the counting convention: CRS reports full days for some shutdowns and describes the 2018–19 lapse as 35 days. Comparing days alone does not establish which event caused the most disruption.
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What happened in each shutdown
Two shutdowns in FY1996
The first shutdown began November 14, 1995, after a continuing resolution expired and President Clinton vetoed another. CRS counts five full days and reports that about 800,000 federal employees were furloughed. A new continuing resolution was enacted November 20.
The second began after that continuing resolution expired at the end of December 15. It lasted 21 full days and ended January 6, 1996, when three short-term continuing resolutions were enacted. CRS estimated that on January 2, 284,000 employees were furloughed and another 475,000 excepted employees were working without pay. Subsequent continuing resolutions funded the government until the FY1996 omnibus appropriations act became law on April 26.
The 2013 shutdown
The FY2014 lapse began October 1 because Congress had not enacted any of the 12 regular appropriations bills. Congress enacted a funding measure October 17, ending the 16-full-day shutdown. OMB’s estimate, reported by GAO, was that about 850,000 federal employees were furloughed for part of the shutdown; that figure does not mean all were furloughed for the entire period.
GAO examined the Departments of Energy, Health and Human Services, and Transportation. It found varying degrees of effects on operations, grants and contracts. Planning before the lapse, funding flexibility such as multiyear funds, and communication helped those departments manage uncertainty. These findings cover three departments, not every federal agency or program. See GAO’s report on the 2013 shutdown.
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The 2018 shutdowns
At the start of FY2018, none of the 12 regular appropriations bills had been enacted, so the government operated under successive continuing resolutions. The January funding gap began when the third CR expired at midnight January 19. Furloughs began over the weekend and continued through Monday, before the fourth CR, P.L. 115-120, was enacted January 22.
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CRS separately notes a comparatively brief February 2018 shutdown. The cited account does not establish its exact duration or operational effects, so it should not be folded into the January event or assigned a specific length. CRS’s chronology is in Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources.
The 2018–19 partial shutdown
Five regular FY2019 appropriations bills had become law, while continuing resolutions temporarily funded the remaining seven. When the second CR expired at the end of December 21, 2018, without agreement on an extension, the affected departments and agencies entered a partial shutdown. A CR signed January 25, 2019, ended it. CRS counts 35 days and describes it as the longest shutdown since the legal opinions that established modern shutdown procedures.
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Quick Recap
What these episodes show—and what they do not
- A lapse can be partial. In 2013, a narrow measure continued funding for certain military pay and activities; in 2018–19, seven appropriations bills remained temporarily funded while agencies covered by lapsed appropriations were affected.
- Furlough counts need context. The 1996 estimate of 284,000 furloughed employees is dated January 2, while the 475,000 excepted employees were working without pay. The 2013 figure of about 850,000 describes employees furloughed for part of the shutdown, not necessarily throughout it.
- Agency effects differ. GAO’s reviews examined selected departments or components and documented operational, grant, contract, planning or control issues within those scopes. They are not comprehensive audits of every service or federal worker.
- Duration is not a severity score. A longer lapse can extend uncertainty, but the effects also depend on the agencies and activities affected, available funding flexibility, and which employees must keep working.
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