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Social security, medicaid, and medicare benefits should not be affected by the 2018 government shutdown, which officially went into place at midnight on Saturday, December 22.
According to the social security shutdown contingency plan, as of September 2018, the core programs and benefits of social security should remain in place, in spite of the shutdown. This is because social security, medicare, and medicaid are all considered “mandatory spending” by the federal government, and not affected by the appropriations process each year.
As a result, core programs like medicare, disability claims, or appeals over benefits should all be functioning through the shutdown as well. In other words, social security, medicare, and medicaid checks will all still be distributed on schedule.
Here’s what you need to know about what will be affected by the 2018 government shutdown, and what won’t:
Over 400,000 Federal Workers Will Continue to Work, But They Won’t Receive Pay
Thank you to our GREAT Republican Members of Congress for your VOTE to fund Border Security and the Wall. The final numbers were 217-185 and many have said that the enthusiasm was greater than they have ever seen before. So proud of you all. Now on to the Senate!
According to CNBC, around 420,000 federal workers at agencies including the FBI, TSA, DEA, and Department of Homeland Security will continue to work without a regular paycheck, and might be without a paycheck for weeks, depending on how long the shutdown could take.
What’s more, CNBC notes that an additional approximate 380,000 federal workers would be placed on temporary leave without receiving pay, including many workers for NASA and the Department of Commerce. Included in that list of employees would be those who work for the Forest and National Park services, those who work for the IRS, and those who work for Housing and Urban Development.
Here are the federal departments that will be shut down if the government shutdown takes place:
- Department of the Treasury
- Department of Agriculture
- Homeland Security Department
- Department of the Interior
- Department of State
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Department of Transportation
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Justice
You don’t have to worry about your holiday packages arriving on time, should the government shutdown. According to Vox, the Post Office will continue to run as usual, because it’s sourced by an independent source of revenue, and therefore isn’t impacted by the annual appropriations process.
How Long Will the 2018 Government Shut Down Last for, if it Does Take Place?
President Trump was supposed to head to Mar-a-Lago tomorrow afternoon for his holiday vacation. No departure on the schedule though as a partial government shutdown becomes widely expected in Washington.
There is no law that mandates the limit of a government shutdown. What’s more, POTUS tweeted early in the morning on Friday, December 21, that the shutdown could take a “very long time,” if Democratic Senators don’t vote for a bill that includes border wall funding.
He wrote, “The Democrats, whose votes we need in the Senate, will probably vote against Border Security and the Wall even though they know it is DESPERATELY NEEDED. If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time. People don’t want Open Borders and Crime!”
POTUS Has Said the Government Shutdown Could Last ‘A Very Long Time’
OUR GREAT COUNTRY MUST HAVE BORDER SECURITY!
As of midnight on Saturday, December 22, funding for approximately a quarter of the federal government expired.
There is no law that mandates the limit of a government shutdown. What’s more, POTUS tweeted early in the morning on Friday, December 21, that the shutdown could take a “very long time,” if Democratic Senators don’t vote for a bill that includes border wall funding.
He wrote, “The Democrats, whose votes we need in the Senate, will probably vote against Border Security and the Wall even though they know it is DESPERATELY NEEDED. If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time. People don’t want Open Borders and Crime!”
Trump then doubled down on this claim, telling reporters on Friday afternoon, per CNN, “It’s really the Democrat shutdown, because we’ve done our thing. Now it’s up to the Democrats as to whether we have a shutdown tonight. I hope we don’t, but we’re totally prepared for a very long shutdown.”