Since 1976, there have been just over twenty federal funding gaps that people commonly call “government shutdowns,” with the 2025 lapse being counted as roughly the 22nd such event in U.S. history.

What “government shutdown” means

  • A shutdown happens when Congress and the president fail to pass and sign spending bills or a temporary funding measure (a continuing resolution) on time.
  • Under interpretations of the Antideficiency Act, many federal agencies must halt “non‑essential” operations and furlough workers until funding is restored.

How many shutdowns there have been

  • Modern counts usually start in the mid‑1970s, when the current budget process began.
  • A 2025 overview noted that there had been 21 shutdowns since 1977, and that the 2025 lapse marked the 22nd shutdown.

So, when people now ask “how many government shutdowns have there been,” they are typically referring to these roughly 22 shutdowns since the 1970s, not to every minor funding hiccup in earlier U.S. history.

Notable recent shutdowns

  • 1995–1996: A 21‑day shutdown during the Clinton administration over spending cuts and budget disagreements.
  • 2013: A 16‑day shutdown during the Obama administration tied to disputes over the Affordable Care Act.
  • 2018–2019: A 35‑day shutdown under Donald Trump’s first presidency, at the time the longest in history, over funding for a U.S.–Mexico border barrier.
  • 2025–2026: A later shutdown during Trump’s second presidency surpassed the earlier record and was described as the 22nd shutdown since the 1970s.

Why this is a trending topic

  • Ongoing budget brinkmanship in Washington keeps the question “how many government shutdowns have there been” in the news, especially when new shutdowns break duration records.
  • Online forums and charts frequently resurface timelines of past shutdowns whenever another funding deadline approaches or is missed, fueling renewed debate each time.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.