Total days Federal Government has been shut down since 1974 – 114 days
Shutdowns over health care related issues – 9 out of 18 (50%), mostly about abortion
President with the most shutdowns – Reagan
Longest shutdown – 21 days
Average length of shutdowns – 6.5 days
Below is a chart outlining the major details of each Federal Government shutdown since 1974. The budget process was changed and has operated the same since then, thus leaving that date as a starting point for federal government budget debates. If you want more detail on the shutdowns, click here.
