Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton and Bob Dole
Greg Gibson/AP

The Longest Government Shutdown In History, No Longer — How 1995 Changed Everything

It took three full weeks — 21 days — for President Bill Clinton and the Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich to settle an impasse that partially shut down the government in 1995-96. That particular moment is a landmark in U.S. political history, birthing a new era of American gridlock that arguably led to the sharp partisanship that has gripped the nation — and delivered a new record for a partial government shutdown, marking Day 22 on Saturday.

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