The longest government shutdown in U.S. history lasted 35 days, from December 22, 2018 to January 25, 2019, during the Donald Trump administration. The shutdown was caused by a dispute over funding an expansion of barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border. Before that, the record was 21 days in 1995 and 1996, during the Bill Clinton administration, when President Clinton refused to bend to steep spending cuts and tax reductions proposed by House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Here is a list of the five longest government shutdowns in U.S. history:

1. 35 days, from December 22, 2018 to January 25, 2019, during the Donald Trump administration.
2. 21 days, from December 16, 1995 to January 6, 1996, during the Bill Clinton administration.
3. 17 days, from October 1 to October 17, 2013, during the Barack Obama administration.
4. 16 days, from September 30 to October 17, 1978, during the Jimmy Carter administration.
5. 14 days, from November 13 to November 19, 1995, during the Bill Clinton administration.