The government shutdown, already in its third day, will almost certainly extend through the weekend after Senate Democrats again rebuked a GOP-led stopgap measure that lacks their health care demands.
History offers vastly different answers for how much longer a shutdown will last, with the duration often depending on public pressure and the success of each party’s leaders in crafting a convincing message.
The last time the government shut down in 2018 and 2019, during President Donald Trump’s first term, was the longest lapse in history at 34 days. Before that, the record was 21 days from 1995 and 1996, ...