Government shutdown hits 21 days, tying second-longest in U.S. history

At 21 days and counting, the federal government shutdown is now tied for the second-longest in U.S. history.

(CNN)- At 21 days and counting, the federal government shutdown is now tied for the second-longest in U.S. history, with no deal in sight and growing frustration among federal workers and travelers.

Union leaders representing air traffic controllers say the situation is becoming untenable. “We need to end this shutdown,” said Dan McCabe, Southern Regional Vice President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. “You’re allowing outside stress to work its way into the control room.”

Controllers are among thousands of federal employees still working without pay. Many are clocking six-day weeks amid staffing shortages, sparking concerns about safety and burnout.

On Capitol Hill, Democrats are pushing for a funding bill that includes protections for Medicaid and continued Affordable Care Act subsidies, warning that millions could see higher healthcare costs.

“Tens of millions of Americans are about to experience dramatically increased premiums, copays, and deductibles,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D–NY).

Republicans, meanwhile, are refusing to negotiate until Democrats approve their version of the spending bill without modifications. “What exactly is there to negotiate?” asked Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R–SD). The stalemate mirrors the 1995 shutdown under President Bill Clinton, when Congress clashed over Medicare cuts. “Newt Gingrich shut down the government in 1995 because he wanted Clinton to cut Medicare,” recalled Paul Begala, a Clinton adviser at the time. Gingrich, then House Speaker, later said, “We didn’t let the fighting stop the negotiating. We also didn’t let the negotiating stop the fighting.”

The longest shutdown in U.S. history remains the 35-day standoff during President Donald Trump’s first term, when Democrats refused to fund his proposed border wall. “Whatever it takes — we’re going to have a wall,” Trump said during that shutdown.

Former Democratic Congressman Dean Phillips noted that shutdown ended only after air traffic controllers began missing work, forcing Republicans to break ranks. Now, three weeks into the latest impasse, the effects are once again rippling through critical sectors — with essential workers stretched thin and no clear resolution on the horizon.