The previous record for the longest U.S. federal government shutdown was 35 days, set during Donald Trump's first term over funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by multiple independent, high-quality sources (NPR, Reuters, Austin American-Statesman) that consistently corroborate the 35-day duration, timeframe, and cause (border wall funding dispute) during Trump's first term. [tier=silver indep_score=0.833 clusters=3 claim_tier=everyday]
Sources
- Trump lashes out and Democrats dig in as shutdown sets ... (seed:politics_and_current_events)
- https://www.npr.org/2025/11/05/nx-s1-5598315/government-shutdown-longest-history (corroboration)
- https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/factbox-longest-us-government-shutdowns-095951235.html (corroboration)
- https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/2023/09/29/longest-government-shutdown-trump-border-wall-funding-border-patrol-migrants/71002682007 (corroboration)