What’s new
An impending government shutdown could force some government agency functions to temporarily cease until new funding is provided. The Social Security Administration (SSA) could be impacted.
Why it matters
Congress has until midnight Friday, Dec. 20, to craft a new budget for federal fiscal year 2025 or pass a continuing resolution to temporarily maintain government funding at 2024 levels.
The House of Representatives voted against a funding measure backed by President-elect Donald Trump, just one day before the deadline. That means some non-essential services could be disrupted indefinitely until lawmakers reach an agreement.
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What you need to know
Whether the government shuts down or not, Social Security retirement, survivor, and disability checks will continue to be paid. In fact, they are considered mandatory expenditures and are not subject to appropriations bills. While discretionary spending requires annual appropriations, mandatory spending is approved either for multi-year periods or for an indefinite period. As a result, mandatory spending typically persists even during a shutdown.
However, certain services offered by the SSA will likely be impacted in the short term, including verification of benefits and the issuance of new cards.
A contingency plan established by the SSA in the event of a shutdown earlier this year, which was averted through the passage of a continuing resolution, confirmed that the government agency “will continue activities essential to our service operations direct and those necessary to ensure accurate and timely payment of benefits…. (and) cease activities that are not directly related to the accurate and timely payment of benefits or that are not essential to our direct service operations.
If no solution is found before the deadline, SSA employees – who are paid by the federal government – could either be furloughed or work without pay until bipartisan funding is agreed upon.
In the event of a closure, similar to what would have taken place in September, the SSA announced that more than 8,000 of its employees would be furloughed. News week contacted the SSA for comment via email outside of normal business hours.
What people say
Republican Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters after Thursday’s vote: “We will regroup and we will find another solution. So stay tuned.”
What’s next
It is impossible to predict the duration of a possible shutdown, but if it occurs, it could extend over the holiday period and into the new year.
Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the House, while Democrats control the Senate. That will change on January 3, when Republicans take control of both chambers, followed by Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
