Social Security payments will continue if the government shuts down

Don’t worry, senior citizens. You’ll still get your Social Security checks if the federal government shuts down next week.

It’s looking increasingly likely that Congress will not be able to pass the 12 appropriation bills that fund federal agencies before the new fiscal year starts on October 1. If that happens, many federal operations will come to a halt and hundreds of thousands of federal workers will be furloughed.

Many senior citizens have written to CNN about their concerns of losing the monthly Social Security payments that they depend on to buy food, pay for housing and afford other essential items and services.

More than 66.7 million Americans were receiving Social Security checks as of August, according to the Social Security Administration. The average monthly benefit was nearly $1,706.

The reason the payments can continue to be made is because they are mandatory spending and because the money comes from a trust fund, said Jason Fichtner, chief economist at the Bipartisan Policy Center and former acting deputy commissioner at the Social Security Administration.

“The bottom line is Social Security payments still go out even during a government shutdown,” he said, noting that disability payments will also continue being disbursed.

The agency’s field offices and call center will also remain open for assistance. Activities that will continue include applications for benefits, requests for appeals and issuance of original or replacement Social Security cards, according to the agency’s contingency plan from mid-August.

“We will continue activities critical to our direct-service operations and those needed to ensure accurate and timely payment of benefits,” the agency said in its contingency plan.

This is a change from the 1995 shutdown, when the agency’s field offices and call center closed…