Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources
Congressional research reportSep 16, 2026
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Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources
Updated September 16, 2026
Congressional Research Service
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R41759
SUMMARY
Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources
When federal government agencies and programs lack budget authority after the expiration of
either full-year or interim appropriations, they experience a “funding gap,” also known as a lapse
in appropriations. In many cases, under the Antideficiency Act (31 U.S.C. §§1341 et seq.),
agencies and programs affected by a funding gap must cease operations—except in certain
circumstances when continued activities are authorized by law.
In the past, there have occasionally been funding gaps that led to government shutdowns. The
most recent—and longest—government-wide funding gap and shutdown to date started in
FY2026 on October 1, 2025, and lasted for a total of 42 full days. Subsequent FY2026 funding
lapses and partial federal government shutdowns took place in the first few months of calendar
year 2026.
R41759
September 16, 2026
Justin Murray
Senior Research Librarian
Carol Wilson
Senior Research Librarian
The relevant laws that govern shutdowns have remained relatively constant in recent decades. However, agencies and
officials may exercise some discretion in how they interpret the laws, and circumstances that confront agencies and officials
may differ over time. Consequently, it is difficult to predict what might happen in the event of a future shutdown. Still,
information about past events may offer some insight into possible outcomes and help inform future deliberations.
This CRS report provides an annotated list of historical documents and other resources related to several past government
shutdowns. In general, the report focuses on shutdowns broadly, and so it includes resources that address circumstances
relating to multiple agencies and programs. Congressional hearings—even when focused on a single agency or programmatic
area—will at times take a broader look at shutdown impacts, so this report includes references to selected hearings. When
possible, the report provides links to full-text documents.
For frequently asked questions relating to shutdowns, see CRS Report R47693, Government Shutdowns and Executive
Branch Operations: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), coordinated by Taylor N. Riccard. For more in-depth discussion of
processes related to shutdowns, see CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and
Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass. For more information about funding gaps, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal
Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno. For information on federal employee furloughs, see CRS In Focus
IF11703, Federal Employee Furloughs: Types and Implications, by Taylor N. Riccard.
This report will be updated as additional resources are identified.
Congressional Research Service
Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources
Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Congressional Research Service Products....................................................................................... 2
CRS Products ............................................................................................................................ 2
Government Accountability Office ........................................................................................... 3
House and Senate Committee Prints and Hearings ......................................................................... 5
Committee Prints....................................................................................................................... 5
Hearings .................................................................................................................................... 5
Office of Management and Budget ................................................................................................. 8
Guidance Documents for Agencies ........................................................................................... 8
Agency Contingency Plans ..................................................................................................... 10
Impacts and Costs of Shutdowns ............................................................................................ 10
FY1996 ............................................................................................................................. 10
FY2014 ............................................................................................................................. 10
FY2019 .............................................................................................................................. 11
FY2026 .............................................................................................................................. 11
Office of Personnel Management ................................................................................................... 11
Presidential Materials .................................................................................................................... 12
Presidential Statements Related to FY1996 Shutdowns ......................................................... 12
The November 1995 Shutdown ........................................................................................ 12
The December 1995–January 1996 Shutdown ................................................................. 13
Presidential Statements Related to FY2014 Shutdown ........................................................... 14
Presidential and Administration Statements Related to the FY2018 Shutdown ..................... 15
Presidential Statements Related to FY2019 Shutdown ........................................................... 16
Presidential Statements Related to FY2026 Shutdown ........................................................... 17
Contacts
Author Information........................................................................................................................ 19
Congressional Research Service
Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources
Introduction
When federal government agencies and programs lack budget authority after the expiration of
either full-year or interim appropriations, they experience a “funding gap,” also known as a lapse
in appropriations. In many cases, under the Antideficiency Act (31 U.S.C. §§1341 et seq.),
agencies and programs affected by a funding gap must cease operations—except in certain
circumstances when continued activities are authorized by law. When there is a funding gap that
affects many federal entities, the situation is often referred to as a government shutdown.1
In the past, there have occasionally been funding gaps that led to government shutdowns, one of
which in FY1996 lasted 21 full days—from December 16, 1995, to January 6, 1996. A shutdown
occurred at the beginning of FY2014 (October 1, 2013) and lasted for a total of 16 full days. Two
comparatively brief shutdowns occurred during FY2018—in January and February 2018,
respectively. The second-to-longest shutdown occurred in FY2019, beginning at the end of the
day on December 21, 2018, lasting 34 full days. The most recent government-wide funding gap
began on October 1, 2025, and concluded on November 12, 2025, after lasting 42 full days. A
subsequent brief partial funding gap—and a longer funding gap affecting FY2026 Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations—also took place in the first few months of calendar
year 2026.2
This report provides historical documents and other resources related to past government
shutdowns along with brief annotations that describe the contents of the documents. In general,
the report focuses on shutdowns broadly, and so it includes resources that address circumstances
relating to multiple agencies and programs. The report does not generally include resources that
relate to any single specific agency or program. However, congressional hearings—even when
focused on a single agency or programmatic area—will at times take a broader look at the impact
of shutdowns, so this CRS report includes selected hearings. The report provides links to full-text
documents when available. While there is relatively little information and guidance related to
shutdowns, and it is difficult to predict what might happen in the event of one, information about
past events may help inform future deliberations.
The following annotated resources are meant to guide readers to relevant materials from
governmental and selected nongovernmental sources.
1 As explained in other CRS reports, although a shutdown may be the result of a funding gap, the two events are
distinguishable. This is because a funding gap may result in a shutdown of all affected projects or activities in some
instances but not in others. For example, when a funding gap is of a short duration, such as just a few hours, agencies
may not have enough time to shut down affected projects and activities before funding is restored. In addition, the
Office of Management and Budget has previously indicated that a shutdown of agency operations within the first day of
a funding gap may be postponed or avoided if it appears that funding through a CR or regular appropriations act is
likely to be enacted that same day. If funding resumes on the first day after previous funding expires, then funding was
technically available that day, and no funding gap is said to occur. Alternatively, if decisionmakers in the executive
branch are uncertain that funding will resume at some point on that day, they may not prevent a shutdown during that
day. Consequently, an agency function might shut down for a day even if funding technically resumes sometime during
that day (i.e., activities may be shut down in the absence of a funding gap). CRS is able to authoritatively count full
days of a funding gap but not necessarily what counts as a “shutdown” in some circumstances. For discussion of
distinguishing shutdowns from funding gaps, see CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government:
Causes, Processes, and Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass. For more detailed discussions of historical federal
funding lapses, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno.
2 For a brief overview of FY2026 events, including information on funding gaps and their duration in full days, see the
section on funding gaps in FY2026 in CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V.
Saturno. For an overview of how lapses in FY2026 appropriations affecting DHS, see CRS Report R49105, Lapses in
DHS Appropriations: History and Plans, by William L. Painter.
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Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources
Congressional Research Service Products
The following CRS products include information related to past government shutdowns:
CRS Products
•
CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes,
and Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass
The report discusses the causes, processes, and effects of federal government shutdowns,
including potential issues for Congress.
•
CRS Report R48930, Government Shutdowns: Applying the Antideficiency Act to
a Lapse in Appropriations, by Sean Stiff and Matthew D. Trout
The report describes the legal analysis that would generally apply during a lapse in
appropriations regarding which activities may cease or continue.
•
CRS Report R47693, Government Shutdowns and Executive Branch Operations:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), coordinated by Taylor N. Riccard
The report addresses frequently asked questions that relate to operations of executive
branch agencies and programs.
•
CRS Insight IN12259, Government Shutdowns and Legislative Branch
Operations: Frequently Asked Questions, by Ida A. Brudnick
The Insight addresses frequently asked questions that relate to operations of the
legislative branch.
•
CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V.
Saturno
The report provides a discussion of funding gaps since FY1977 and a more detailed
chronology of legislative actions and funding gaps that led to the two shutdowns of
FY1996 and the single shutdown of FY2014.
•
CRS Report R49105, Lapses in DHS Appropriations: History and Plans, by
William L. Painter
The report looks specifically at how lapses in annual appropriations have affected DHS,
using the FY2014, FY2019, and FY2026 lapses in appropriations as case studies. It then
goes on to identify some issues raised by how the FY2026 lapse was resolved.
•
CRS Legal Sidebar LSB10243, How a Government Shutdown Affects
Government Contracts, by David H. Carpenter
The Legal Sidebar briefly covers potential effects of a shutdown on new and existing
contracts.
•
CRS In Focus IF11703, Federal Employee Furloughs: Types and Implications,
by Taylor N. Riccard
The In Focus includes brief descriptions of federal employee furlough types and
procedures.
•
CRS Report R41723, Funding Gaps and Government Shutdowns: CRS Experts,
coordinated by Dominick A. Fiorentino and Clinton T. Brass
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Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources
The report provides names and contact information for CRS staff who are available to
address questions relating to policy, procedural, and legal aspects of funding gaps and
government shutdowns.
•
CRS Insight IN12248, Economic Effects of Government Shutdowns, by Lida R.
Weinstock and Marc Labonte3
The Insight discusses the economic effects of shutdowns, including effects on output,
employment, and government spending.
•
CRS Report R48832, The 2025 (FY2026) Government Shutdown: Economic
Effects, by Lida R. Weinstock and Marc Labonte
The report discusses the effects of the 2025 shutdown on economic output. The report
also reviews third-party estimates of the effects of the shutdown on the economy.
•
CRS Insight IN11011, Economic Effects of the FY2019 Government Shutdown,
by Marc Labonte
The Insight briefly covers the FY2019 shutdown and its effects on economic activity and
employment.4
•
CRS Report R43292, The FY2014 Government Shutdown: Economic Effects, by
Marc Labonte
The report discusses the effects of the FY2014 government shutdown on the economy
and financial markets. It also reviews third-party estimates of the effects of the shutdown
on the economy.
•
CRS Report R43250, CRS Resources on the FY2014 Funding Gap, Shutdown,
and Status of Appropriations, by Justin Murray
The brief report includes short annotations and links to CRS products related to the
October 2013 government shutdown.5
Government Accountability Office
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)6 has published reports and other resources on
past and potential future shutdowns. GAO also maintains a website with resources related to
“Shutdowns/Lapses in Appropriations” at https://www.gao.gov/legal/appropriations-law/lapsesin-appropriations. In addition to providing links to specific GAO legal decisions on shutdowns,
this site also provides brief context on lapses in appropriations and links to selected GAO
testimony on shutdowns.
•
GAO, Funding Gaps Jeopardize Federal Government Operations, PAD-81-31,
March 3, 1981, http://www.gao.gov/products/PAD-81-317
3 This product is currently listed as archived by CRS. An archived CRS product is no longer being updated but is
available on CRS.gov.
4 This product is currently listed as archived by CRS. An archived CRS product is no longer being updated but is
available on CRS.gov.
5 This product is currently listed as archived by CRS. An archived CRS product is no longer being updated but is
available on CRS.gov.
6 Until 2004, GAO was called the General Accounting Office.
7 Information about historical context in this section was provided by Clinton Brass. For more information on
(continued...)
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Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources
According to this GAO report, as of March 1981, “interruptions in federal agency
funding at the beginning of the fiscal year (FY) and operations on continuing resolutions
[had] become the norm rather than the exception.” For years, many federal agencies
continued to operate during funding gaps while “minimizing all nonessential operations
and obligations, believing that Congress did not intend that agencies close down” while
waiting for the enactment of annual appropriations acts or continuing resolutions (CRs).
During the FY1981 appropriations process, the President requested opinions on the
Antideficiency Act from then-U.S. Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti.8 In two
memoranda issued in 1980 and 1981, the Attorney General stated that the act required
agencies to terminate all operations when their current appropriations expired. According
to GAO, agencies were uncertain how to respond to the Attorney General’s opinion and
what activities they would be able to continue if appropriations expired.
The GAO report outlines some of the problems surrounding late appropriations and
funding gaps. It also includes Attorney General Civiletti’s opinions within Appendices IV
and VIII.9
•
GAO, Cost of the Recent Partial Shutdown of Government Offices, PAD-82-24,
December 10, 1981, http://www.gao.gov/products/PAD-82-24
According to GAO, this report was completed “in response to congressional requests,”
for which “GAO contacted 13 cabinet departments and 12 selected agencies and offices
to obtain information about the costs of a 1981 partial shutdown of government offices.”
It includes cost estimates, background information about the costs, and GAO
recommendations to Congress concerning agency operations in the event of a
government shutdown.
•
GAO, Government Shutdown: Permanent Funding Lapse Legislation Needed,
GGD-91-76, June 6, 1991, http://www.gao.gov/products/GGD-91-76
In 1990, GAO issued a questionnaire to government agencies to measure the effects of a
partial shutdown that occurred on Columbus Day weekend. The report also includes
estimates on the effects of a hypothetical three-day shutdown during a non-holiday
workweek.
•
GAO, Government Shutdown: Funding Lapse Furlough Information, GGD-9652R, December 1, 1995, http://www.gao.gov/products/GGD-96-52R
GAO was asked to provide available information on the numbers of federal employees
who might have been subject to furlough in the event of a second shutdown in 1995.
GAO provided numbers that were based on plans provided by the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) to GAO in October 1995. The numbers included within the document
government shutdowns, see CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and
Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass.
8 Benjamin Civiletti was U.S. Attorney General from 1979 to 1981.
9 The opinions stated that, with some exceptions, the head of an agency could avoid violating the Antideficiency Act
only by suspending the agency’s operations until the enactment of an appropriation. In the absence of appropriations,
exceptions would be allowed only when there is “some reasonable and articulable connection between the function to
be performed and the safety of human life or the protection of property.” For discussion of exemptions, see GAO,
Principles of Federal Appropriations Law, 3rd ed., vol. II, GAO-06-382SP, February 2006, ch. 6, pp. 6-146–6-159,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-06-382SP.
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Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources
do not represent actual furloughs but rather planned furloughs in advance of the two
shutdowns, which occurred later in November and December-January.
•
GAO, 2013 Government Shutdown: Three Departments Reporting Varying
Degrees of Impacts on Operations, Grants, and Contracts, GAO-15-86,
November 14, 2014, https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-86
GAO reviewed how the 2013 shutdown affected some operations and services at three
departments: the Departments of Energy, Health and Human Services, and
Transportation. GAO selected these three departments for review based on the value of
grants and contracts, the percentage of employees expected to be furloughed, and the
potential for longer-term effects.
GAO recommended that OMB instruct agencies to document lessons learned in planning
for and implementing a shutdown, as well as for resuming activities following a
shutdown should a funding gap longer than five days occur in the future. OMB staff did
not state whether they agreed or disagreed with the recommendation.
•
GAO, FY2019 Government Shutdown: Selected Agencies Could Improve
Contingency Planning for Potential Shutdown Scenarios and Strengthen Some
Internal Controls, GAO-20-377, June 1, 2020, https://www.gao.gov/products/
gao-20-377
GAO examined four agencies’ contingency plans and operations during the FY2019
shutdown and reported recommendations for future potential shutdowns.
House and Senate Committee Prints and Hearings
Committee Prints
The following committee print includes historical information on a past government shutdown:
•
U.S. Congress, House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, Cost of
Shutting Down Federal Government on November 23, 1981, committee print,
97th Congress, 2nd session, March 25, 1982 (GPO, 1982), http://hdl.handle.net/
2027/pur1.32754077662413.
The committee print assessed the cost of the November 23, 1981, shutdown of federal
offices resulting from a presidential veto of a CR for FY1982. It includes individual
federal departments’ and agencies’ shutdown impact assessments that were collected by
GAO (pp. 73-212).10 It also includes cost estimates, an OMB memorandum, and a
presidential veto statement.
Hearings
The following are congressional hearings that include historical information on past shutdowns.
Some of these hearings include items for the record such as OMB memoranda.
10 GAO, Cost of the Recent Partial Shutdown of Government Offices, PAD-82-24, December 10, 1981,
http://www.gao.gov/products/PAD-82-24.
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•
U.S. Congress, House and Senate Committees on the Budget, Effects of Potential
Government Shutdown, hearing, 104th Congress, 1st session, September 19, 1995
(GPO, 1995), http://www.archive.org/stream/effectsofpotenti00unit.
The hearing took place before the November 1995 shutdown, and it examined potential
scenarios if a shutdown were to occur. The hearing includes testimony from Walter
Dellinger, Assistant Attorney General, and Alice M. Rivlin, director of OMB. The hearing
includes additional materials such as articles, letters from the Federal Reserve System,
and a memo11 from Dellinger to Rivlin.
•
U.S. Congress, House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight,
Subcommittee on Civil Service, Government Shutdown I: What’s Essential?
hearings, 104th Congress, 1st session, December 6, and 14, 1995 (GPO 1997),
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-104hhrg23275/pdf/CHRG104hhrg23275.pdf.
These hearings were held in December 1995 and generally covered the November 1995
shutdown.12 Because the hearings were not published until 1997, some additional
information related to the December 1995–January 1996 government shutdown is
included.13
•
U.S. Congress, House Committee on Resources, State Service Donations in
Budgetary Shutdowns, hearing, 104th Congress, 1st session, December 5, 1995
(GPO 1996), http://www.archive.org/stream/stateservicedona00unit.
The hearing was held to consider legislation14 that would have directed the Department of
the Interior to accept donations of assistance from state governments’ employee services
for operating national parks and wildlife refuges during federal government shutdowns.
•
U.S. Congress, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, As
Difficult as Possible: The National Park Service’s Implementation of the
Government Shutdown, hearing, 113th Congress, 1st session, October 16, 2013,
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-113hhrg88621/pdf/CHRG113hhrg88621.pdf.
The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown and looked at the National Park
Service’s implementation of the government shutdown.
•
U.S. Congress, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Effect of Government
Shutdown on VA Benefits and Services to Veterans, hearing, 113th Congress, 1st
session, October 9, 2013, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG113hhrg85863/pdf/CHRG-113hhrg85863.pdf.
11 U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel, Government Operation in the Event of a Lapse in
Appropriations, memorandum from Walter Dellinger, Assistant Attorney General, to Alice Rivlin, Director, OMB,
August 16, 1995. Reprinted in the hearing print at pp. 77-85.
12 The hearing print includes inserted material from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Shutdown Plan,
September 1995, pp. 80-90; VA, Agency Shutdown Guidance, August 14, 1995, pp. 119-131; VA, Lapse of
Appropriation Furlough Guidance, September 19, 1995, pp. 132-151; and VA, Updated Plans for Implementing a
Government Shutdown, December 14, 1995, pp. 354-374.
13 The hearing includes an OMB letter with information about the effects of the shutdowns and counts of employees
who were excepted and not excepted from furlough. See pp. 266-270 and 272-274.
14 Includes the text of H.R. 2677 and H.R. 2706, 104th Cong.
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The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown and focused on the impact of
the shutdown on benefits payments and services for veterans.
•
U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
Impacts of the Government Shutdown on Our Economic Security, hearing, 113th
Congress, 1st session, October 11, 2013, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/
CHRG-113shrg93946/pdf/CHRG-113shrg93946.pdf.
The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown and focused on the possible and
emerging economic and other impacts related to the shutdown.
•
U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship,
Small Businesses Speak: Surviving the Government Shutdown?, hearing, 113th
Congress, 1st session, October 15, 2013, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/
CHRG-113shrg87989/pdf/CHRG-113shrg87989.pdf.
The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown and examined the impacts the
shutdown was having on small businesses.
•
U.S. Congress, House Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on
Readiness, The Interpretation of H.R. 3210: Pay Our Military Act, hearing, 113th
Congress, 1st session, October 10, 2013, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/
CHRG-113hhrg85325/pdf/CHRG-113hhrg85325.pdf.
The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown, and it examined interpretations
of H.R. 3210, the Pay Our Military Act, which was ultimately enacted as P.L. 113-39.
•
U.S. Congress, Senate Joint Economic Committee, The Way Forward: LongTerm Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, hearing, 113th Congress, 1st
session, October 11, 2013, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG113jhrg85408/pdf/CHRG-113jhrg85408.pdf.
The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown. The hearing examined policy
options for ending the shutdown and addressing the debt ceiling, and it also reviewed
potential solutions to promote fiscal sustainability and economic growth.
•
U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies, The Power of the Purse: A Review of
Agency Spending Restrictions During a Shutdown, hearing, 116th Congress, 1st
session, February 6, 2019. Select testimony and video footage available at
https://democrats-appropriations.house.gov/legislation/hearings/the-power-ofthe-purse-a-review-of-agency-spending-restrictions-during-a.
The hearing examined the FY2019 shutdown and agency restrictions.
•
U.S. Congress, House Committee on Small Business, Subcommittee on
Investigations, Oversight, and Regulations, Shutdown Lessons: SBA Capital
Access Programs, hearing 116th Congress, 1st session, February 26, 2019,
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-116hhrg34741/pdf/CHRG116hhrg34741.pdf.
The hearing examined the FY2019 partial government shutdown and impacts on the
Small Business Administration and small business access to capital.
•
U.S. Congress, House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Subcommittee on
Governmental Operations, Government Shutdowns: Contract Killers, hearing,
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116th Congress, 1st session, May 6, 2019, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/
CHRG-116hhrg36438/pdf/CHRG-116hhrg36438.pdf.
The field hearing examined the impact on federal contractors from the FY2019 partial
shutdown.
•
•
U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, Business
Meeting on S.Res. 526, A Resolution Withholding the Pay of Senators If a
Government Shutdown Occurs, hearing 119th Congress, 1st session, December 11,
2025. Video of the hearing is available from the Senate Rules Committee website
at https://www.rules.senate.gov/hearings/business-meeting-12-11-2025.15
U.S. Congress, House Appropriations Committee: Funding Lapses: Analyzing
Shutdown Reform, hearing, 119th Congress, 2nd session, July 22, 2026. Video of
the hearing is available at https://appropriations.house.gov/schedule/hearings/
hearing-funding-lapses-analyzing-shutdown-reform.16
Office of Management and Budget
Guidance Documents for Agencies
OMB documents and guidance regarding potential or actual funding gaps and shutdowns may
provide insights into current and future practices. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
has provided links to previous OMB bulletins and memoranda for reference.17 The website,
entitled “Pay and Leave Furlough Guidance: Shutdown Furlough,” is available at
http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/furlough-guidance/#url=ShutdownFurlough.18
Some of the OMB documents include the following:
•
•
OMB Bulletin 80-14, Shutdown of Agency Operations Upon Failure by the
Congress to Enact Appropriations, August 28, 1980 (citing the 1980 Civiletti
opinion19 and requiring agencies to develop shutdown plans)
OMB Memorandum, Agency Operations in the Absence of Appropriations,
November 17, 1981 (referencing OMB Bulletin 80-14, stating that the 1981
15 This hearing was held on December 11, 2025, and a published transcript is not yet available from GPO.
16 The hearing was held on July 22, 2026, and a published transcript is not yet available from GPO.
17 Some of these documents have been reproduced within legislative branch documents mentioned within this report.
See U.S. Congress, House and Senate Committees on the Budget, Effects of Potential Government Shutdown, hearing
104th Cong., 1st sess., September 19, 1995, pp. 77-85; GAO, Funding Gaps Jeopardize Federal Government
Operations, Appendices V, VI, and VII; and U.S. Congress, House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight,
Subcommittee on Civil Service, Government Shutdown I: What’s Essential?, hearings, 104th Cong., 1st sess., December
6, and 14, 1995, pp. 99-112, 121-131, and 428-430.
18 OMB Circular A-11 provides guidance to agencies on preparing the upcoming fiscal year budget and instructions on
budget execution. The entire Circular A-11 is available as follows: OMB, Preparation, Submission, and Execution of
the Budget, Circular A-11, August 2025, §124, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/a11.pdf. For
information about OMB, see CRS Report RS21665, Office of Management and Budget (OMB): An Overview,
coordinated by Taylor N. Riccard.
19 For the 1980 Civiletti opinion, see GAO, Funding Gaps Jeopardize Federal Government Operations, PAD-81-31,
March 3, 1981, pp. 63-69, http://www.gao.gov/products/PAD-81-31.
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Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources
•
•
•
•
•
Civiletti opinion20 remains in effect, and providing examples of “excepted
activities” that may be continued under a funding gap)
OMB Bulletin 80-14, Supplement No. 1, Agency Operations in the Absence of
Appropriations, August 20, 1982 (“updating” OMB Bulletin 80-14 and newly
requiring agencies to submit contingency plans for review by OMB)
OMB Memorandum M-91-02, Agency Operations in the Absence of
Appropriations, October 5, 1990 (referencing OMB Bulletin 80-14; stating that
OMB Bulletin 80-14 was “amended” by the OMB Memorandum of November
17, 1981; stating that the 1981 Civiletti opinion remains in effect; and directing
agencies how to respond to an anticipated funding gap that would begin during
the weekend)
OMB Memorandum M-95-18, Agency Plans for Operations During Funding
Hiatus, August 22, 1995 (referencing OMB Bulletin 80-14, as amended; citing
the 1981 Civiletti opinion; transmitting to agencies a 1995 Office of Legal
Counsel opinion as an “update” to the 1981 Civiletti opinion21; and directing
agencies to send updated contingency plans to OMB)
OMB Memorandum M-13-22, Planning for Agency Operations During a
Potential Lapse in Appropriations, September 17, 2013 (citing Section 124 of
Circular A-11 and providing guidance and coordinating efforts to facilitate
contingency planning in accordance with the Antideficiency Act)
OMB Memorandum M-18-05, Planning for Agency Operations During a
Potential Lapse in Appropriations, January 19, 2018 (citing Section 124 of
Circular A-11 and providing guidance and coordinating efforts to facilitate
contingency planning in accordance with the Antideficiency Act)
OMB also provides agencies with annual instructions in Circular A-11 on how to prepare for and
operate during a funding gap:
•
OMB, Preparation, Submission, and Execution of the Budget, Circular A-11,
August 2025, Section 124, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/
2025/08/a11.pdf.
The circular, published at least annually, articulates “policies” regarding the absence of
appropriations. The circular also directs agency heads to develop and maintain shutdown
plans according to a schedule specified in the circular. Although the circular’s contents
may change from year to year, in the past, the circular has usually called for agency heads
to use the Civiletti opinions—a 1995 Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel
opinion—and the circular to “decide what agency activities are excepted or otherwise
legally authorized to continue during a lapse in appropriations.”22
20 For the 1981 Civiletti opinion, see GAO, Funding Gaps Jeopardize Federal Government Operations, pp. 77-92.
21 U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel, Government Operation in the Event of a Lapse in
Appropriations, memorandum from Walter Dellinger, Assistant Attorney General, to Alice Rivlin, Director, OMB,
August 16, 1995, reprinted in U.S. Congress, House and Senate Committees on the Budget, Effects of Potential
Government Shutdown, hearing, 104th Cong., 1st sess., September 19, 1995 (GPO, 1995), pp. 77-85,
http://www.archive.org/details/effectsofpotenti00unit.
22 OMB, Circular A-11, §124.1, August 2025. For the Office of Legal Counsel document, see U.S. Congress, House
and Senate Committees on the Budget, Effects of Potential Government Shutdown, hearing, 104th Cong., 1st sess.,
September 19, 1995 (GPO, 1995), pp. 77-85, http://www.archive.org/details/effectsofpotenti00unit. For more
information on federal government shutdown causes, processes, and effects, including some of the history of how
(continued...)
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Agency Contingency Plans
In recent years, OMB hosted a website with links to agency shutdown contingency plans arranged
by agency. As of the last update of this CRS report, the OMB website no longer provides links to
agency contingency plans.23
OMB currently provides access to a “Frequently Asked Questions During a Lapse in
Appropriations” document that is available on the OMB “Miscellaneous” web page at
https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-resources/guidance/miscellaneous/. See Section IV
of the document on “Orderly Shutdowns” and Question 20, which refers to the use of agency
contingency plans and OMB Circular A-11, Section 124.24
A link to the contingency plan for the Executive Office of the President is also currently available
on the OMB “Miscellaneous” site. However, individual agency department and agency
contingency plans are posted on individual department and agency websites.25
Impacts and Costs of Shutdowns
FY1996
The hearing entitled Government Shutdown I: What’s Essential? (cited earlier in this report)
includes some estimates related to the December 1995–January 1996 shutdowns. It includes an
OMB letter with information about the effects of the shutdowns and counts of employees who
were excepted and not excepted from furlough (see pages 266-270 and 272-274). The hearing is
available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-104hhrg23275/pdf/CHRG-104hhrg23275.pdf.
FY2014
OMB released a report on November 7, 2013, with some estimates on the cost of the October
2013 shutdown. The report includes information on federal employee furloughs, economic effects
of the shutdown, and some impact estimates related to select programs.26 The report is available
guidance within the executive branch has evolved, see CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government:
Causes, Processes, and Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass.
23 For past versions of this web page from previous Administrations, see OMB, “Agency Contingency Plans,”
https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/information-for-agencies/agency-contingency-plans/, and “Agency
Contingency Plans,” https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/information-for-agencies/agency-contingency-plans/,
both archived at U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, “Archived Presidential White House Websites,”
https://www.archives.gov/presidential-records/research/archived-white-house-websites. As of the date of this report,
OMB’s public website does not provide links to agency shutdown plans. Some organizations and press outlets may also
engage in continual reporting on topics relating to shutdown plans. An illustrative example of these types of resources
includes Stephanie Wright, “Here’s a Look at Federal Agencies’ Shutdown Contingency Plans,” Federal News
Network, September 30, 2025, https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2025/09/heres-a-look-at-federalagencies-contingency-plans-as-shutdown-looms/.
24 See OMB, Preparation, Submission, and Execution of the Budget, Circular A-11, August 2025, Section 124,
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/a11.pdf. For information about OMB, see CRS Report
RS21665, Office of Management and Budget (OMB): An Overview, coordinated by Taylor N. Riccard.
25 For example, see Department of Commerce, “Plan for an Orderly Shutdown Due to Lapse of Congressional
Appropriations, September 29, 2025,” https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2025-09/DOC-Lapse-Plan2025.pdf.
26 An accompanying OMB blog post entitled Impacts and Costs of the Government Shutdown is available at
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/11/07/impacts-and-costs-government-shutdown.
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at http://web.archive.org/web/20140701035515/http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/
omb/reports/impacts-and-costs-of-october-2013-federal-government-shutdown-report.pdf.
FY2019
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report on January 28, 2019, with some
estimates of effects of the December 2018–January 2019 partial government shutdown. The
report includes estimates related to the shutdown’s effect on discretionary spending, economic
activity, and gross domestic product. The report is available at https://www.cbo.gov/publication/
54937.
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs released a bipartisan
historical retrospective report examining the costs and effects of FY2014 and FY2019 shutdowns.
See U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs,
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, The True Cost of Government Shutdowns, staff
report (“majority and minority”), September 17, 2019, https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/
subcommittees/investigations/library/files/majority-and-minority-staff-report_-the-true-cost-ofgovernment-shutdowns/.
FY2026
During the first FY2026 shutdown, CBO released two reports in October 2025 on the estimated
economic effects of the shutdown as follows:
•
•
On October 17, 2025, CBO released a letter in response to a request from the
House Budget Committee chairman to provide a “Qualitative Analysis of the
Effects of the Government Shutdown on the Economy (as of October 17, 2025).”
The report is available at https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61822.
On October 29, 2025, CBO released a letter also in response to a request from the
chairman of the House Budget Committee to provide a “Quantitative Analysis of
the Effects of the Government Shutdown on the Economy Under Three Scenarios
(as of October 29, 2025).” The report presented estimates of the effects under
three scenarios: a four-week shutdown (ending October 29, 2025), a six-week
shutdown (ending November 12, 2025), and an eight-week shutdown (ending
November 26, 2025). The report is available at https://www.cbo.gov/publication/
61823.
Office of Personnel Management
OPM has some information publicly available on the internet related to government shutdowns
and furloughs:
•
OPM, Pay and Leave Furlough Guidance, https://www.opm.gov/policy-dataoversight/pay-leave/furlough-guidance/#url=Shutdown-Furlough.
The website includes links to guidance related to administrative and shutdown furloughs.
The shutdown portion of the website includes the following additional references to
historical guidance:
•
OPM, Memorandum to Agencies on Retroactive Pay and Other Matters,
October 17, 2013;
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
OPM, Information on Paychecks for September 22 through October 5, 2013
Pay Period
OPM, Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs, September 2015
U.S. Chief Human Capital Council, Memorandum for Heads of Executive
Departments and Agencies. Fact Sheet: Pay and Benefits Information for
Employees Affected by the Lapse in Appropriations, January 23, 2019
U.S. Chief Human Capital Council, Memorandum for Heads of Executive
Departments and Agencies. Government Fair Treatment Act of 2019, January
23, 2019
U.S. Chief Human Capital Council, Memorandum for Heads of Executive
Departments and Agencies. Telework and other Workplace Flexibilities for
Excepted Employees During a Lapse in Appropriations, January 23, 2019
U.S. Chief Human Capital Council, Memorandum for U.S. Chief Human
Capital Officers, CPM 2025-14, Employee Pay, Leave, Benefits, and Other
Human Resources Programs Affected by the Lapse in Appropriations,
November 12, 2025, https://www.opm.gov/chcoc/latest-memos/employeepay-leave-benefits-and-other-human-resources-programs-affected-by-thelapse-in-appropriations/
U.S. Chief Human Capital Council, Memorandum for Chief Human Capital
Officers Reduction in Force Actions Affected by Continuing Appropriations
Act, 2026, November 13, 2025, https://www.opm.gov/chcoc/publishedmemos/reduction-in-force-actions-affected-by-continuing-appropriations-act2026/
Presidential Materials
The following documents are from the National Archives and Records Administration, current
Administration websites, and the Government Publishing Office.27 These documents cover
illustrative statements made by Presidents and Administration officials during government
shutdowns and are arranged by date.
Presidential Statements Related to FY1996 Shutdowns
The November 1995 Shutdown
Historical Context.28 The November 1995 shutdown began on November 14, 1995, and ended
on November 19, 1995. An estimated 800,000 federal employees were furloughed during the five
full days of the shutdown.29 The furlough action was due to the expiration of a CR (P.L. 104-31)
that funded the government through November 13, 1995. On November 13, President Clinton
vetoed a second CR (H.J.Res. 115) and a debt limit extension bill (H.R. 2586) and instructed
27 See the GPO Gov Info “Compilation of Presidential Documents” website at https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/
cpd/2025.
28 Jessica Tollestrup, CRS Specialist in Social Policy, provided information about the historical context in this section.
29 See U.S. Congress, House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, Subcommittee on Civil Service,
Government Shutdown I: What’s Essential? hearings, 104th Cong., 1st sess., December 6, and 14, 1995, p. 4.
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agencies to begin shutdown operations. The following presidential statements occurred during
this time period:
•
•
•
•
•
U.S. President (Clinton), “President’s Message to Congress on Continuing
Resolution Veto,” November 13, 1995, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/
1995/11/1995-11-13-president-message-to-congress-on-continuing-res-veto.html.
U.S. President (Clinton), “Statement by the President on Government
Shutdown,” November 14, 1995, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1995/
11/1995-11-14-for-the-record-president-on-government-shutdown.html
U.S. President (Clinton), “Transmittal to Congress of Presidential C.R.,”
November 17, 1995, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1995/11/1995-1117-transmittal-to-congress-of-presidential-cr.html.
U.S. President (Clinton), “Radio Address by the President to the Nation,”
November 18, 1995, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1995/11/1995-1118-radio-address-by-the-president-to-the-nation.html
U.S. President (Clinton), “Statement by the President on Budget Agreement,”
November 19, 1995, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1995/11/1995-1119-statement-by-the-president-on-budget-agreement.html
The December 1995–January 1996 Shutdown
Historical Context.30 The December 1995–January 1996 shutdown began on December 16,
1995, and ended on January 6, 1996. The shutdown was triggered by the expiration of a CR
enacted on November 20, 1995 (P.L. 104-56), which funded the government through December
15, 1995. The shutdown officially ended on January 6, with the passage of three CRs (P.L. 10491, P.L. 104-92, and P.L. 104-94). There were five additional short-term CRs needed to prevent
further funding gaps from occurring through April 26, 1996, when the Omnibus Consolidated
Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-134) was enacted to fund any agencies or
programs not yet funded through FY1996. The following presidential statements occurred from
December 15, 1995, through January 6, 1996:
•
•
•
•
•
U.S. President (Clinton), “Statement by the President on Budget Negotiations,”
December 15, 1995, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1995/12/1995-1215-president-statement-on-budget-negotiations.html
U.S. President (Clinton), “Radio Address by the President to the Nation,”
December 16, 1995, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1995/12/1995-1216-radio-address-by-the-president-to-the-nation.html
U.S. President (Clinton), “Statement by the President on the Budget,” December
18, 1995, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1995/12/1995-12-18statement-by-the-president-on-the-budget.html
U.S. President (Clinton), “Statement by the President on Signing House Joint
Res. 136,” December 22, 1995, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1995/12/
1995-12-22-president-statement-on-signing-house-joint-res.html
U.S. President (Clinton), “Radio Address by the President to the Nation,”
December 23, 1995, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1995/12/1995-1223-radio-address-by-the-president-to-the-nation.html
30 Jessica Tollestrup, CRS Specialist in Social Policy, provided information about the historical context in this section.
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•
•
•
•
•
U.S. President (Clinton), “Statement by the President on House Joint Resolution
153,” January 4, 1996, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1996/01/199601-04-president-statement-on-house-joint-resolution.html
U.S. President (Clinton), “Statement by the President on Balanced Budget
Proposal,” January 6, 1996, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1996/01/
1996-01-06-president-remarks-on-balanced-budget-proposal.html
U.S. President (Clinton), “Statement by the President in Signing H.R. 1358,”
January 6, 1996, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1996/01/1996-01-06president-statement-in-signing-hr.html
U.S. President (Clinton), “Statement by the President in Signing H.R. 1643,”
January 6, 1996, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1996/01/1996-01-06president-statement-in-signing-hr-a.html
U.S. President (Clinton), “Radio Address by the President to the Nation,” January
6, 1996, https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1996/01/1996-01-06-radioaddress-by-the-president-to-the-nation.html
Presidential Statements Related to FY2014 Shutdown
Historical Context.31 A shutdown occurred at the beginning of FY2014 (October 1, 2013) and
lasted for a total of 16 full days. At the beginning of the fiscal year, none of the 12 regular
appropriations bills for FY2014 were enacted. In addition, a CR to provide temporary funding for
the previous year’s projects and activities had also not been enacted. On September 30, however,
an automatic CR was enacted that covered FY2014 pay and allowances for (1) certain members
of the Armed Forces, (2) certain Department of Defense (DOD) civilian personnel, and (3) other
specified DOD and DHS contractors (P.L. 113-39).32
A CR was signed into law (P.L. 113-46) on October 17, 2013, that ended the shutdown and
allowed government departments and agencies to reopen. The following presidential statements
occurred from September 30, 2013, through October 19, 2013, and included discussion of the
shutdown:
•
•
•
•
U.S. President (Obama), “Statement by the President,” September 30, 2013,
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/09/30/statementpresident
U.S. President (Obama), “Weekly Address: Averting a Government Shutdown
and Expanding Access to Affordable Healthcare,” September 30, 2013,
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/09/28/weekly-address-avertinggovernment-shutdown-and-expanding-access-affordable-healthcare
U.S. President (Obama), “Remarks by the President on the Affordable Care Act
and the Government Shutdown,” October 1, 2013,
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/10/01/remarkspresident-affordable-care-act-and-government-shutdown
U.S. President (Obama), “Remarks by the President on the Government
Shutdown,” October 3, 2013, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-pressoffice/2013/10/03/remarks-president-government-shutdown.
31 Jessica Tollestrup, CRS Specialist in Social Policy, provided information about the historical context in this section.
32 For more information on automatic CRs, see CRS Report R41948, Automatic Continuing Resolutions: Background
and Overview of Recent Proposals, by Jessica Tollestrup.
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•
•
•
•
•
•
U.S. President (Obama), “Weekly Address: End This Government Shutdown,”
October 5, 2013, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/10/05/yourweekly-address-end-government-shutdown.
U.S. President (Obama), “Remarks by the President at FEMA Headquarters,”
October 7, 2013, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/10/
07/remarks-president-fema-headquarters
U.S. President (Obama), “Weekly Address: Let’s Get Back to the Work of the
American People,” October 12, 2013, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/
blog/2013/10/12/weekly-address-let-s-get-back-work-american-people.
U.S. President (Obama), “Statement by the President of the United States,”
October 16, 2013, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/
10/16/statement-president-united-states.
U.S. President (Obama), “Remarks by the President on the Reopening of the
Government,” October 17, 2013, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/thepress-office/2013/10/17/remarks-president-reopening-government.
U.S. President (Obama), “Weekly Address: Working Together on Behalf of the
American People,” October 19, 2013, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/
blog/2013/10/19/weekly-address-working-together-behalf-american-people
Presidential and Administration Statements Related to the
FY2018 Shutdown
Historical Context.33 At the beginning of FY2018, none of the 12 regular appropriations bills
had been enacted, so the federal government operated under a series of CRs. The first, P.L. 11556, provided government-wide funding through December 8, 2017. The second, P.L. 115-90,
extended funding through December 22, and the third, P.L. 115-96, extended it through January
19, 2018.
In the absence of agreement on legislation that would further extend the period of these CRs, a
funding gap began with the expiration of P.L. 115-96 at midnight on January 19. A furlough of
federal personnel began over the weekend and continued through Monday of the following week,
ending with enactment of a fourth CR, P.L. 115-120, on January 22.
The following statements by the President and Administration officials occurred from January 19,
2018, through January 22, 2018, and included discussion of the shutdown:
•
•
Press Briefing by OMB Director Mick Mulvaney and Legislative Affairs Director
Marc Short on the Potential Government Shutdown, January 19, 2018,
https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/press-briefing-byomb-director-mick-mulvaney-and-legislative-affairs-director-marc-short-on-thepotential-government-shutdown01192018/
Press Briefing by OMB Director Mick Mulvaney and Legislative Affairs Director
Marc Short on the Government Shutdown, January 20, 2018,
https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/press-briefing-ombdirector-mick-mulvaney-legislative-affairs-director-marc-short-governmentshutdown/
33 More details on the shutdown can be found in CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by
James V. Saturno.
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•
•
U.S. President (Trump), “Statement from President Donald J. Trump,” January
22, 2018, https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/statementpresident-donald-j-trump-8/
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, January 22, 2018,
https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/press-briefing-presssecretary-sarah-sanders-012218/
Presidential Statements Related to FY2019 Shutdown
Historical Context. The December 2018–January 2019 government shutdown began on
December 22, 2018, and ended on January 25, 2019. Five of the 12 regular appropriations bills
for FY2019 had been enacted by the start of the fiscal year (October 1, 2018) in two separate
consolidated appropriations acts (P.L. 115-245 and P.L. 115-298).34 The remaining seven regular
appropriations bills were funded from October 1, 2018, through December 21, 2018, under two
consecutive CRs. The first CR, P.L. 115-245, provided funding for the remaining seven
appropriations bills through December 7, 2018.35 The second CR, P.L. 115-298, extended funding
for these seven appropriations bills through December 21, 2018. No new appropriations were
enacted upon the expiration of P.L. 115-298. As a result, a funding gap affecting these seven
regular appropriations bills for FY2019 began at midnight.
The funding gap ended when a CR was signed into law on January 25, 2019, covering the seven
unenacted regular appropriations bills for FY2019 (P.L. 116-5). The government shutdown lasted
34 full days—the longest shutdown at that point in time—since key Department of Justice
opinions were issued in 1980 and 1981. The following presidential statements occurred from
December 21, 2018, through January 25, 2019, and included discussion of the shutdown:
•
•
•
•
•
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks by President Trump in Christmas Video
Teleconference with Members of the Military,” December 27, 2018,
https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-presidenttrump-christmas-video-teleconference-members-military/
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks by President Trump After Meeting with
Congressional Leadership on Border Security,” January 4, 2019,
https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov//briefings-statements/remarks-presidenttrump-meeting-congressional-leadership-border-security/
U.S. President (Trump), “President Donald J. Trump’s Address to the Nation on
the Crisis at the Border,” January 8, 2019, https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/
briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trumps-address-nation-crisis-border/
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks by President Trump During Briefing at the
Rio Grande Valley U.S.-Mexico Border,” January 11, 2019,
https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-presidenttrump-briefing-rio-grande-valley-u-s-mexico-border/
U.S. Vice President (Pence) “Remarks by Vice President Pence Before Meet-andGreet with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Employees,” January 11, 2019,
34 P.L. 115-245 provided funding for DOD and Labor-HHS-ED, and P.L. 115-244 provided funding for Energy and
Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Constructions-Veterans Affairs.
35 Agriculture and Related Agencies; Commerce-Justice-Science and Related Agencies; Financial Service and General
Government; Homeland Security; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; State, Foreign Operations and Related
Programs; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.
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•
https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-vicepresident-pence-meet-greet-u-s-customs-border-patrol-employees/.
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks by President Trump on the Government
Shutdown,” January 25, 2019, https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefingsstatements/remarks-president-trump-government-shutdown/
Presidential Statements Related to FY2026 Shutdown
Historical Context.36 None of the 12 FY2026 regular appropriations bills had been enacted by
the start of the fiscal year on October 1, 2025. A funding gap affecting all 12 of the regular
appropriations bills began on October 1, 2025, after a House-passed CR (H.R. 5371) failed to
pass the Senate on two occasions in the days leading up to the end of the fiscal year (once on
September 19 and once on September 30).37 The funding gap and resulting government shutdown
lasted 42 full days, ending on November 12, 2025. A subsequent brief partial funding gap—and a
longer funding gap affecting FY2026 Homeland Security appropriations—also took place in the
first few months of calendar year 2026.38 The following selected presidential statements occurred
from September 30, 2025, through April 3, 2026, and included discussion of the FY2026
shutdowns as noted below:
•
•
•
•
•
U.S. President (Trump), “President Trump Gaggles with Press Before Departing
the White House,” September 30, 2025, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/
DCPD-202500969/pdf/DCPD-202500969.pdf. See the section in the remarks on
“Potential Lapse in Federal Government Appropriations/Illegal Immigration.”
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks and an Exchange with Reporters Upon Arrival
from Norfolk, Virginia,” October 5, 2025, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/
DCPD-202500981/pdf/DCPD-202500981.pdf. See the section in remarks on
“Lapse in Federal Government Appropriations/Federal Workforce Reduction
Efforts.”
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks on Signing a Decision Statement on the 2025
Ambler Road Project Appeal and an Exchange with Reporters,” October 6, 2025,
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202500982/pdf/DCPD202500982.pdf. See the section on “Lapse in Federal Government
Appropriations/Health Insurance Exchanges.”
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks Prior to a Meeting with Prime Minister Mark
Carney of Canada and an Exchange with Reporters,” October 7, 2025,
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202500987/pdf/DCPD202500987.pdf. See the section on “Lapse in Federal Government
Appropriations/Backpay for Furloughed Federal Employees.”
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks in a Roundtable Discussion on the ‘Antifa’
Organization and an Exchange with Reporters,” October 8, 2025,
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202500989/pdf/DCPD-
36 Information in this section is adapted from descriptive text in CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief
Overview, by James V. Saturno.
37 See also the entry for on the Continuing Resolutions tab of the FY2026 CRS Appropriations Status Table at
https://crs.gov/legislative/appropriations-status-table.
38 For a brief overview of these events, see the section on funding gaps in FY2026 in CRS Report RS20348, Federal
Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno. For an overview of how lapses in annual FY2026
appropriations have affected the DHS, see CRS Report R49105, Lapses in DHS Appropriations: History and Plans, by
William L. Painter.
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
202500989.pdf. See the section on “Lapse in Federal Government
Appropriations/Health Insurance Premium Subsidies.”
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks in a Cabinet Meeting and Exchange with
Reporters,” October 9, 2025, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD202500992/pdf/DCPD-202500992.pdf. See the section on “Lapse in Federal
Government Appropriations/Health Insurance Reforms.”
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks on Prescription Drug Prices and an Exchange
with Reporters,” October 10, 2025, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD202500996/pdf/DCPD-202500996.pdf. See the section on “Federal Workforce
Reduction Efforts/Lapse in Federal Government Appropriations.”
U.S. President (Trump) “Statement on the Lapse in Federal Appropriations,”
October 11, 2025, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202501002/pdf/
DCPD-202501002.pdf.
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks in an Exchange with Reporters Aboard Air
Force One En Route to Lod, Israel,” October 12, 2025, https://www.govinfo.gov/
content/pkg/DCPD-202501004/pdf/DCPD-202501004.pdf. See the section on
“U.S. Cease-Fire Agreement Between Hamas and Israel/Lapse in Federal
Government Appropriations.”
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks in an Exchange with Reporters Prior to
Departure from Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom,” October 14,
2025, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202501010/pdf/DCPD202501010.pdf. See the section on “Lapse in Federal Government
Appropriations/Illegal Immigration.”
U.S. President (Trump), “National Security Presidential Memorandum on Use of
Available Department of War Funds for Military Pay and Allowances During the
Lapse in Annual Appropriations,” October 15, 2025, National Security
Presidential Memorandum/NSPM–8, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/
DCPD-202501017/pdf/DCPD-202501017.pdf.
U.S. President (Trump), “The President’s News Conference,” October 15, 2025,
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202501015/pdf/DCPD202501015.pdf. See section on “Former Department of Justice Special Counsel
John L. Smith/Border Security/Lapse in Federal Government Appropriations.”
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks on Expanding Access to Fertility Care and In
Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and an Exchange with Reporters,” October 16, 2025,
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202501019/pdf/DCPD202501019.pdf. See the section on “Lapse in Federal Government
Appropriations/Insulin Costs.”
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks in an Exchange with Reporters Upon Arrival
in West Palm Beach, Florida,” October 17, 2025, https://www.govinfo.gov/
content/pkg/DCPD-202501027/pdf/DCPD-202501027.pdf. See the section on
“Lapse in Federal Government Appropriations/President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
of Ukraine/Russia.”
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks in an Exchange with Reporters Aboard Air
Force One En Route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland,” October 19, 2025,
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202501029/pdf/DCPD202501029.pdf. See the section on “Lapse in Federal Government
Appropriations/Illegal Immigration.”
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, “Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt
Briefs Members of the Media,” November 4, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/
videos/press-secretary-karoline-leavitt-briefs-members-of-the-media-nov-4-2025/
. Comments on the ongoing government shutdown are mentioned at the
beginning of the briefing.
U.S. President (Trump), “President Trump Delivers Remarks at Breakfast with
Republican Senators,” November 5, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/videos/
president-trump-delivers-remarks-at-breakfast-with-republican-senators/.
Comments on the ongoing government shutdown are mentioned.
U.S. President (Trump), “President Trump Signs Senate Amendment to H.R.
5371 H.R. 5371,” November 12, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/videos/
president-trump-signs-senate-amendment-to-h-r-5371/.
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks and an Exchange with Reporters Prior to
Departure for Fort Bragg, North Carolina,” February 13, 2026,
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202600101/pdf/DCPD202600101.pdf. See text of exchange with reporters on “Partial Government
Shutdown/Department of Homeland Security.”
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks at a Swearing-in Ceremony for Mark Wayne
Mullin as Secretary of Homeland Security and on Exchange with Reporters,”
March 24, 2026, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202600199/pdf/
DCPD-202600199.pdf. See mention of the Homeland Security Shutdown on
page 2.
U.S. President (Trump), “Remarks in a Cabinet Meeting and an Exchange with
Reporters,” March 26, 2026, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD202600208/pdf/DCPD-202600208.pdf. See mention of the DHS shutdown on
page 1.
U.S. President (Trump), “Memorandum on Liberating the Department of
Homeland Security from the Democrat-Caused Shutdown,” April 3, 2026,
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202600228/pdf/DCPD202600228.pdf.
Author Information
Justin Murray
Senior Research Librarian
Carol Wilson
Senior Research Librarian
Acknowledgments
Some of the descriptions within this report draw from CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal
Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass, and CRS Report RS20348,
Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno. Jessica Tollestrup assisted by providing
details within the brief historical context sections on the November 1995, December 1995–January 1996,
and October 2013 shutdowns.
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Past Government Shutdowns: Key Resources
Disclaimer
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Congressional Research Service
R41759 · VERSION 45 · UPDATED
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This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.