If the government shuts down could that impact December Social Security checks?

If the government shuts down, then any government service that isn’t essential will halt.

This would not be the first government shutdown, and it’s happened when Congress misses the deadline for passing annual spending bills.

President Joe Biden signed something called a stopgap funding bill back in Oct. to avoid a government shutdown after it was passed by both the House and the Senate.

Related: When is my local Social Security office open and how do I get services?

What happens to Social Security and SSI if the government shuts down?

Americans will be safe from losing their payments if the government shuts down.

Anyone collecting Social Security or SSI can expect their payments like normal.

Social Security is considered a mandatory spending program. It does not use annual spending bills to function.

Related: What will my SSI payments be every month in 2022?

Unless policymakers change how a mandatory program works, it remains the same and continues functioning like normal.

What could happen if the government shuts down is a pause on issuing Social Security cards.

Around 60,000 Americans per day apply for new Social Security cards.

This could be an issue because many people need a Social Security card to work, open bank accounts, or take out a loan.

Related: Make this move and you can boost your Social Security payments

Staff Report

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