WASHINGTON – A government shutdown set to start at midnight on Friday, coinciding with the Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations, would represent the fourth occasion during Donald Trump’s leadership of the Republican Party that a funding impasse has led to a government closure.

The president-elect’s move to reject a temporary funding proposal intended to maintain government operations until after his inauguration and through March has pushed the government towards yet another shutdown, reminiscent of previous crises that many Americans are familiar with.

During Trump’s first administration, the government experienced three shutdowns, one of which lasted 35 days, making it the longest shutdown in U.S. history, covering the end of 2018 into early 2019.

The recent chaos was ignited by Trump and his key advisor, billionaire Elon Musk, who effectively derailed a bipartisan funding agreement crafted by congressional leaders that would have kept the government operating until March 14. Trump voiced his dissatisfaction, claiming the bill caved too much to Democratic demands and urged that negotiations start anew.

Increasing the pressure, Trump proposed that Congress should abolish the debt ceiling, which limits how much money the federal government can borrow. He stated, “There won’t be anything approved unless the debt ceiling is resolved,” during an interview on ABC News.

The issue of the debt ceiling had not been incorporated in the discussions surrounding the funding to keep the government open.

Musk criticized the bipartisan bill that resulted from negotiations. After being asked by Trump to help enhance governmental efficiency, Musk posted on his social media platform X calling for the bill’s repeal.

“This bill should not pass,” he declared.

Ultimately, the bill did not pass. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., decided not to hold a vote on the bipartisan measure he had worked out with Democrats, instead opting for a different Republican plan favored by Trump. However, that too was rejected late Thursday night, with 38 Republicans joining Democrats to defeat the proposal.

The discussion in the House on that measure was so heated that Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., who led the session, broke the gavel while attempting to restore order.

“Step up and pass your own bill,” urged Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., addressing his Republican colleagues. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, expressed confusion over why Republicans had even put forth the bill, which was met with taunts of “Because you’re liars” from Democrats.

If lawmakers do not strike a last-minute funding agreement, many parts of the government will run out of funding and actually shut down at midnight Friday.

In a post on Truth Social early Friday morning, Trump advised Congress to resolve their differences on spending now, while President Joe Biden is still in office so his administration can be held accountable for the shutdown.

“If the government is to shut down, let it happen now during the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP.’ This is a Biden issue to fix, but Republicans can lend a hand as well!” the former and potential future president wrote on his social media platform.

Trump faced his first government shutdown exactly one year after taking office on January 20, 2018.

The initial three-day shutdown resulted from stalled discussions between Trump and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, particularly concerning protections for young undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

President Barack Obama had introduced safeguards for these so-called DREAMERS through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which Trump later ended but granted Congress a six-month time frame to replace. During budget talks, however, Trump insisted on immigration concessions from Democrats. The government reopened after Congress came to a temporary agreement that did not include the immigration terms Democrats sought.

Later, on February 8, 2018, the government experienced a second shutdown during Trump’s presidency, though it lasted only a short while.

Sen. Rand Paul, a conservative Republican from Kentucky, initiated this government closure.

The government briefly halted operations when a Senate vote on a funding bill was blocked due to concerns about it increasing the federal budget deficit by over $300 billion. Fortunately, the shutdown lasted only a few hours because both the Senate and the House eventually approved the spending bill.

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history occurred during Trump’s presidency, lasting from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019. This shutdown was prompted by Trump’s request for $5.7 billion to construct a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, which Democrats refused to discuss until the government reopened.

This standoff lasted for 35 days, leading to over 350,000 federal workers being furloughed, and an additional 400,000 had to work without pay. During this period, some food safety inspections were halted, trash accumulated in national parks, federal landmarks and museums closed, and several airports faced checkpoint closures due to a reduced number of Transportation Security Administration employees available to screen passengers.

Ultimately, the shutdown concluded when Trump agreed to a bipartisan bill that did not include the requested funding for the border wall.

If there happens to be a fourth shutdown during Trump’s time in office, he won’t hold the record for the most shutdowns. Ronald Reagan experienced eight government shutdowns during his presidency, but all were short-lived, with the longest being just three days.

During his single term, Jimmy Carter also presided over five shutdowns, the most prolonged lasting 18 days.