White House government shutdown clock kept ticking, days after impasse ended

(WASHINGTON) — According to the official White House government shutdown clock, the historic impasse ended on Tuesday.

While the federal government shutdown actually ended a week ago, the White House’s shutdown clock continued to tick on Tuesday until it was pointed out to the White House by ABC News.

The shutdown clock on the White House’s website had reached 48 days despite President Donald Trump signing funding legislation in the Oval Office on Nov. 12 to reopen the government.

The shutdown clock was removed shortly after ABC News asked the White House why the clock was still running. The clock was replaced with a page headlined, “Democrats Shut Down the Government for a Record 43 Days.”

The Trump administration’s shutdown clock was featured on a White House webpage as late as early Tuesday afternoon ET, right above a headline reading, “Democrats Have Shut Down the Government.”

The White House did not explain to ABC News why the clock had continued to run and be displayed online until Tuesday.

The federal government shutdown was the longest in U.S. history, officially lasting 43 days.

The impasse between Republicans and Democrats over a spending bill to reopen the government prompted widespread turmoil for thousands of furloughed federal employees and cut off Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to millions of Americans.

The shutdown was prolonged by a fight between Democrats and Republicans over the fate of enhanced tax credits for millions of Americans who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Those credits are set to expire at the end of the year.

An extension of the enhanced tax credits was not included in President Trump’s massive spending bill that he signed into law in July.

The tax credits were part of the original ACA legislation passed during the Obama administration and were enhanced in 2021 under the Biden administration to expand eligibility and lower income contribution caps.

To get enough Democrats to vote in favor of the spending bill to reopen the government, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., agreed to schedule a floor vote in December on extending the ACA tax credits. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has repeatedly refused to commit to a vote on the ACA subsidies, leaving the issue in limbo.

ABC News’ Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.