Government Shutdown Timeline: How Senators Went From a 40-Day Stalemate to a Sudden Deal
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history appears to be coming to an end, after senators suddenly moved forward on a funding deal over the weekend after 40 days of little progress.
The deal still must be approved by the Senate and House before reaching President Donald Trump’s desk. Meanwhile, the pain continues to mount for Americans on everything from food assistance to air travel.
Below is a timeline of the main events following the week-long stalemate.
October 1: the federal government close at 00:01 am after rival Republican and Democratic proposals that would have funded the government failed in the Senate at the last minute. The Democratic bill included extensions to health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, while Republicans’ “clean” bill would have funded the government at current levels through Nov. 1.
A sign indicates that the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, is closed on October 21, 2025 due to the government shutdown.
Daniel Heuer/AFP via Getty Images
October 10: The Trump administration begins laying off thousands of federal workers. Affected agencies include the departments of Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security and Treasury.
October 14: Two weeks into the shutdown and with virtually no progress, House Speaker Mike Johnson predicts they are headed toward “one of the longest shutdowns in American history.” The House remained out of session throughout the shutdown after Republican members passed a clean seven-week funding bill in mid-September.
President Mike Johnson delivers a speech to reporters on November 10, 2025 at the Capitol in Washington, DC.
Tom Brenner/Getty Images
October 15: The Pentagon says troops have been paid and will not lose pay due to the shutdown after existing funds are transferred.
October 24: More than 500,000 federal employees miss your first full paycheck. Days later, the president of the country’s largest union representing federal workers asked lawmakers to pass a short-term spending bill to end the shutdown, a statement seized on by Republicans to increase pressure on Democrats.
Birds fly around the Capitol dome on Nov. 4, 2025, in Washington.
Allison Robbert/AP
October 30: President Trump, after a week-long trip abroad, wades into the shutdown showdown by calling on Senate Republicans to end the filibuster to unilaterally reopen the government. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune quickly rejected Trump’s demand.
President Donald J. Trump holds a list of potential legislation should Republicans eliminate the Senate filibuster, as he hosts a bilateral lunch with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House in Washington, Nov. 7, 2025.
Aaron Schwartz/EPA/Shutterstock
November 1: Funds dry up for SNAP benefits, leaving 42 million Americans vulnerable and triggering a complex legal fight between the administration and states. Additionally, open enrollment begins for Affordable Care Act beneficiaries and insurance premium prices will skyrocket next year.
San Antonio Food Bank volunteers carry bags of potatoes for a food distribution for SNAP recipients and other households affected by the federal shutdown, Nov. 6, 2025, in San Antonio.
Eric Gay/AP
November 4: The Senate fails for the fourteenth time to promote a clean, short-term financing bill.
November 5: The shutdown becomes the longest in US history. Trump brings Senate Republicans to the White House to discuss the shutdown, after Republican losses in key elections across the country. Democrats are using election victories to argue that Republicans should negotiate with them on health care.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer leaves a Democratic luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 6, 2025 in Washington.
Eric Lee/Getty Images
November 7: Air travel is further impacted as the Federal Aviation Administration begins reducing flight capacity at major airports across the country. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer put on the table a Democratic proposal for a short-term extension of government funding that includes a one-year extension of ACA subsidies. Republicans quickly rejected the offer.
People travel through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on November 7, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Megan Varner/Getty Images
November 8: Thune said he plans to keep the Senate in session until the government is funded, and said Republicans will push a plan to advance a short-term funding bill with a “minibus” of three full-year funding bills for SNAP benefits and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, as well as programs for veterans. Schumer considers it a “terrible mistake” that Republicans have rejected the Democrats’ offer.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune responds to the briefings at the Capitol in Washington, Nov. 7, 2025.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
November 9: A sudden turning point on Capitol Hill as senators reach a bipartisan deal to end the shutdown. Eight Democrats vote with Republicans to advance the measure in a 60-40 vote.
The bill does not include any of the Democratic health care demands, but sources told ABC News that Republican leadership has promised to allow a vote on a Democratic-picked bill related to the ACA in December.
Members of the Senate voted to end the government shutdown on November 9, 2025 at the Capitol.
United States Senate
It also includes a new government funding extension from January 30, 2026; language to reverse Trump administration layoffs during shutdown; and ensure furloughed workers receive back pay.
November 10: The Senate meets again to advance the agreement, although questions remain about how quickly they can achieve it. President Johnson tells House members to begin returning to Washington immediately and says the House will vote as quickly as possible on the funding bill once the Senate clears it to be sent to President Trump’s desk.
