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By Aliss Higham
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The federal government is scheduled to shut down on Wednesday if lawmakers do not pass a continuing resolution to keep the government funded. But what happens to benefit payments like Social Security, Veterans Disability and food assistance when a shutdown happens?
Why It Matters
The U.S. is heading toward its first federal government shutdown since 2018, as Democratic and Republican leaders remain deadlocked just hours before the deadline, following a meeting with President Donald Trump that ended without an agreement.
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A government shutdown matters because it halts or delays the operations of many federal agencies that rely on annual appropriations, affecting services, payments, and employees.
What To Know
Whether a program continues paying benefits depends on whether it is funded via mandatory spending or discretionary spending.
Mandatory spending refers to programs that are funded automatically under existing laws, without requiring Congress to approve funding each year. Examples include Social Security, Medicare, and many veterans’ benefits. These programs continue to receive funding even during a government shutdown.
Discretionary spending, on the other hand, covers programs that rely on annual appropriations from Congress, such as defense, education, and many federal agencies. If lawmakers fail to pass a budget, discretionary programs are the ones most directly affected, often leading to furloughs or service interruptions.
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Social Security Benefits
Social Security payments will not be interrupted. These benefits are classified as mandatory spending, which typically continues during a government shutdown since it is funded on a permanent or multi-year basis. Still, some services connected to Social Security could face delays if they rely on discretionary funding.
VA Disability Benefits
All Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, including pensions, education, and housing, will continue to be processed and delivered. However, as with Social Security and other mandatory programs, some services could experience delays.
A spokesperson for the VA clarified to Newsweek that "VA benefits will continue to be processed and delivered, including compensation, pension, education, and housing benefits."
SNAP Benefits
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding could be disrupted in the event of a prolonged government shutdown because the program relies on annual appropriations from Congress to operate.
While SNAP is considered a mandatory program—meaning people who qualify are legally entitled to benefits—the actual money to issue those benefits must still be appropriated by lawmakers. If Congress fails to pass a budget or a stopgap measure (continuing resolution), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) may not have the authority or funding to keep benefits flowing beyond what has already been allocated.
During short shutdowns, USDA can often rely on existing funds to keep benefits going. But if it is prolonged, states could run out of federal funding to distribute SNAP, and households might see delays or interruptions to their monthly benefits.
However, it is still unlikely SNAP benefits will not be payable to recipients, given that most government shutdowns don't last very long. The December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, shutdown, which lasted 35 days, was the longest in more than four decades. In January 2018, the government shut down for three days in total.
According to the Food Action and Research Center, the Food and Nutrition Service’s updated accounting process also considers the upcoming month’s benefits to be “obligated” in the prior month when issuance files are sent to the EBT [electronic benefits transfer] vendor and extends the current federal fiscal year’s appropriations to cover the benefits for the first month of the next federal fiscal year. In this case, October benefits are obligated in September.
"Accordingly, there is no need for SNAP recipients to worry about missing their October payments even if a shutdown were to occur."
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