Will Social Security Be Affected by the Government Shutdown?

The tens of millions of Americans that rely on Social Security will continue to receive their payments while the government is shut down , though they may experience other service disruptions.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is funded through mandatory spending, meaning that funding for the agency does not require annual congressional approval and it does not have to pause its essential services after lawmakers failed to reach a deal to fund the government by Wednesday’s deadline. So while the shutdown is set to disrupt a wide range of federal programs, the SSA will continue holding appointments for benefit applications, considering appeals requests, and issuing original and replacement Social Security cards, among other services.

“We will continue activities critical to our