Non-farm payrolls and JOLTS were delayed this week but they will soon be rescheduled. The House ended the US government shutdown and surely the Senate will now follow. The vote was 217-214.
I don't think this will lead to much relief in the market as the deal was flagged on the weekend. Trump on Friday also indicated that negotiations were happening and that no one wanted a shutdown.
If you read in between the lines on that, it says voters were blaming the Republicans the last time around moreso than the Democrats; though the real loser in all this is always faith in Washington.
A brief history of U.S. government shutdowns
U.S. government shutdowns occur when Congress fails to pass appropriations bills (or a continuing resolution) to fund federal agencies, and the president does not sign temporary funding into law. During a shutdown, “non-essential” federal operations pause, hundreds of thousands of workers are furloughed, and others work without pay until funding resumes.
Shutdowns are a relatively modern phenomenon. Before 1980, funding gaps happened but agencies often continued operating. That changed after an attorney general opinion clarified that agencies must cease non-essential work when funds lapse. Since then, shutdowns have become a recurring feature of U.S. politics, often reflecting deeper conflicts over budgets, deficits, healthcare, immigration, or presidential authority.
Most shutdowns have been brief—lasting a day or two—but a few have been prolonged and economically disruptive. The 1995–96 shutdowns under President Clinton marked a turning point in their political visibility. The longest shutdown, in 2018–19, lasted 35 days amid a dispute over border wall funding, highlighting how shutdowns can be used as leverage in high-stakes negotiations.
While shutdowns rarely change long-term fiscal outcomes, they impose real short-term costs on workers, government services, and public trust.
US government shutdowns since 1980:
Nov 20–23, 1981 — 2 days
Sept 30–Oct 2, 1982 — 1 day
Dec 17–21, 1982 — 3 days
Nov 10–14, 1983 — 3 days
Sept 30–Oct 3, 1984 — 2 days
Oct 3–4, 1984 — 1 day
Oct 16–18, 1986 — 1 day
Dec 18–20, 1987 — 1 day
Oct 5–9, 1990 — 3 days
Nov 13–19, 1995 — 5 days
Dec 16, 1995–Jan 6, 1996 — 21 days
Oct 1–17, 2013 — 16 days
Jan 20–23, 2018 — 3 days
Feb 9, 2018 — 1 day
Dec 22, 2018–Jan 25, 2019 — 35 days
Oct 1–Nov 12, 2025 — 43 days (longest shutdown on record)
Current shutdown (4 days)
