As of Tuesday, October 22, the U.S. federal government has been shut down for 22 days, making it one of the longest government shutdowns in American history with no end in sight as Congress remains deadlocked.
This shutdown has forced 750,000 federal employees to go on unpaid leave, including crucial positions such as air traffic controllers working without pay, and national parks, federal agencies, and museums completely closed.
With the government shutdown ongoing, the following key dates are worth noting:
On Wednesday, this shutdown became the second longest in U.S. history, tied with the one during President Bill Clinton’s administration between 1995 and 1996. After October 23, this shutdown will officially become the second longest, only behind the 35-day shutdown during President Trump’s first term in 2017.
President Trump is scheduled to leave Washington, D.C., on October 25 (Saturday) to embark on a several-day visit to multiple Asian countries.
This means that if a deal to reopen the government is not reached by the weekend, this shutdown is likely to continue until after President Trump returns, as any appropriations bill to end the shutdown requires the President’s signature to take effect.
The duration of President Trump’s trip is still unclear, but it is expected to conclude after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit in South Korea on October 31 to November 1.
Under President Trump’s direction, the U.S. Department of Defense has adjusted the Pentagon’s budget to ensure that 1.3 million active-duty military personnel received their salaries on October 15. However, it is uncertain if there will be funds to pay the military personnel for the salary due on October 31.
House Speaker Mike Johnson stated last week that if the government remains closed, U.S. military personnel could face the risk of not receiving their pay at the end of the month.
Senate staff missed a payday on October 20. If the shutdown continues, they will also be unable to receive their next scheduled pay on November 5.
House aides receive their pay once a month, but if the government fails to resume operations, they will not receive the salary due on October 31.
Democrats see November 1 as a key deadline, hoping that Congress can pass an appropriation bill before then to extend the subsidies of the expiring Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Extending the Obamacare subsidies is a crucial condition for Democrats to agree on an appropriations bill and is currently the core issue where the two parties are deadlocked.
November 1 marks the start of the Obamacare open enrollment for the coming year, where Americans will begin selecting their healthcare plans for 2026. The termination of Obamacare subsidies will affect the premiums of millions of Americans.
If the government does not resume operations before November 1, the Head Start program for low-income families and their preschool children faces the risk of funding cuts.
According to the National Head Start Association, if the government remains closed, 135 Head Start centers in 41 states will not receive the federal funding usually distributed on November 1, impacting around 65,000 children receiving services.
If this government shutdown continues until November 5, it will surpass the record for the longest federal government closure.
The current record is held by the 35-day shutdown during President Trump’s first term between 2018 and 2019.
With Thanksgiving approaching on November 27, the national travel volume will sharply increase starting on November 21 (Friday). Congress may face greater pressure as people demand a swift resumption of government operations to ensure traffic flow, especially in air travel, is no longer affected by the shutdown.
Like other essential government workers, around 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees continue to work during the shutdown without pay.
Congress members will go on holiday starting on November 24 for a week-long Thanksgiving break.
If the shutdown extends beyond Thanksgiving, the issue will be addressed upon their return to Washington. The plan is for them to reconvene in the first three weeks of December to continue addressing the appropriations bill issue.
(Adapted from a report by USA Today)