What happens to my benefits if the federal government closes at midnight on Friday?

A federal government shutdown appears increasingly likely The House of Representatives failed to pass it Short-term spending bill on Thursday. The House is scrambling to approve the budget after House Republicans and President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday they opposed an earlier short-term spending bill that would have kept the government running next year. “This mess wouldn’t have happened if we had a real president.” Trump said in a statement. “We will do it within 32 days.”

Lawmakers have until the end of Friday, December 20, to pass a spending bill that will fund the federal government until next spring while it debates the long-term federal budget. If this deadline passes without Congress approving funding, the government will enter a shutdown until it is passed, during which federal employees will be furloughed without pay and some government services will cease to operate.

The US government has been shut down 10 times in its long historythe first came in late 1981. The most recent shutdown began in December 2018, and was arguably the most significant of all, lasting 35 days. While the government has not shut down since then, the threat has become more common in recent years as funding deadlines approach.

If a shutdown occurs in 2024, you can expect some vital services to continue while others will cease. You can read on to know all the details. For more, find out how Protect your Social Security number from thieves and How much time do you have left to enroll in ACA health insurance?.

Will I still get Social Security during the government shutdown?

The Social Security Administration has plans in place to ensure Social Security checks will continue to be sent in the event of a government shutdown. This applies to Social Security benefits as well as Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance.

However, you can expect to see delays in other Social Security Administration services, including the issuance of new Social Security cards and benefit application dates, as well as responses to customer service requests. Other things like benefits verification and overpayment processing will stop completely.

Will I continue to get medical care during the government shutdown?

Just like with Social Security, you can expect to continue receiving benefits during the government shutdown if you have Medicare or Medicaid. According to the rundown However, these benefits, released by the office of Virginia Rep. Jennifer Wexton, could cease if the shutdown lasts longer than three months, but such a possibility is largely outside the scope of historical precedent.

Will the government shutdown affect federal nutrition programs?

Food assistance programs are at high risk of losing funding in the event of a government shutdown. If you’re among the tens of millions of Americans who participate in programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, your benefits may run out soon after the shutdown begins. The Department of Agriculture is also only allowed to send out SNAP benefits for 30 days from the start of the shutdown, funded or not.

Will the government shutdown affect air travel?

Federal employees are still expected to work in the field during the shutdown despite the fact that they won’t get paid during it, so you likely won’t see an immediate impact on air travel. This includes air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration officers, and Customs and Border Protection agents.

However, according to Rep. Wexton’s breakdown of government shutdowns, such employees not showing up during a government shutdown are not unheard of, which can result in significant delays in the flow of travel at airports.

What prevents Congress from approving a short-term budget?

On Wednesday, Trump opposed a proposed budget resolution that appeared to have enough support to pass the House, demanding it be rewritten to either raise the debt limit or eliminate it entirely. Writing in a joint statement with Vice President-elect J.D. Vance That “anything else is a betrayal of our country.” GOP support for the resolution stalled in Congress as Trump suggested that anyone who supported it would be targeted in future primaries.

The debt limit imposes a cap on the amount of debt the U.S. Treasury can take on, which largely affects how much debt it can borrow to repay obligations. The limit was previously raised during funding negotiations in 2023, and raising it again was not initially part of the negotiations.

“GOP extremists want House Democrats to raise the debt ceiling so House Republicans can lower the amount of your Social Security check,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said. In a statement posted on Bluesky.

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