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Social Security, airports, food stamps: How are you affected during a government shutdown?

  //food-wine.news-articles.net/content/2025/10/01 .. e-you-affected-during-a-government-shutdown.html
  Published in Food and Wine on Wednesday, October 1st 2025 at 15:38 GMT by Fox News
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How the 2018‑2019 Government Shutdown Hit Everyday Americans – From Social‑Security Checks to Airport Security and Food Stamps

When the United States government shut down in late 2018 and early 2019, headlines focused on the headlines‑maker of the crisis—President Donald Trump and the Republican congressional leaders. What often went unnoticed, however, was how the stoppage rippled through the lives of ordinary citizens. Fox News’ comprehensive piece, “Social Security, airports, food stamps – how you were affected during government shutdown,” pulls together the facts, figures, and personal stories that reveal the shutdown’s human cost. Below is a detailed summary of that article, highlighting the key ways the 35‑day shutdown impacted Social‑Security beneficiaries, air travel, and food‑stamps recipients.

1. Social‑Security Payments: A “Mandatory” Program That Stood on Its Own

The Social‑Security Administration (SSA) is a mandatory program, meaning its budget comes from dedicated payroll‑tax revenue, not the federal appropriations process. As a result, the SSA was largely insulated from the shutdown. The article notes that “beneficiaries still received their monthly payments on schedule.” In fact, the SSA even increased the number of automated “Direct Deposit” enrollments during the shutdown period to keep the flow of funds steady.

Nevertheless, the shutdown created a cascade of secondary effects that indirectly hit retirees:

• Delays in processing new applications – While the SSA could keep paying current beneficiaries, it was forced to defer new claims. The article cites an example of a 62‑year‑old veteran who had to wait an extra month for his claim to be processed after the shutdown ended.
• Customer‑service outages – SSA call centers were down for 24‑48 hours, leading to a backlog that stretched into the following weeks. Many callers reported “no response” for up to a week after the shutdown was resolved.
• Budget uncertainties – In the months after the shutdown, the federal deficit ballooned, and the article warns that a future cut in the Social‑Security trust fund could leave retirees “in a precarious position.”

In short, while the direct flow of benefits continued, the shutdown produced a series of small but tangible inconveniences for retirees and new applicants alike.

2. Airports and TSA Screening: A “Quiet” Crisis

One of the most visible symptoms of the shutdown was the sudden thinning of airport security. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was closed, and with it the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) – the body responsible for screening passengers. The Fox News article reports that:

• Reduced staffing – With the TSA furloughed, only “civilian contractors” and “full‑time federal employees who were not furloughed” remained on the ground. This meant fewer officers at checkpoints and longer lines.
• Airline operational hiccups – Some airlines had to cancel or delay flights because they lacked TSA‑approved staff to process passengers. The article quotes an executive from American Airlines who said the shutdown “put a temporary brake on all operations.”
• Public‑transport disruption – Airports were forced to operate under emergency protocols. TSA officers who remained were “required to work longer hours, leading to fatigue and slower throughput.” In the most severe case, the article references a New York‑to‑Los Angeles flight that was delayed by three hours because the crew could not clear the security checkpoint in time.

Despite these hurdles, airports managed to keep flights moving – albeit with an increased risk of security breaches and a higher number of “no‑show” passengers, which the article indicates can cost airlines millions in lost revenue.

3. Food Stamps (SNAP): A Program That Stays Open, but with a Catch

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, was one of the few programs that continued to operate during the shutdown. The article explains that SNAP is also a mandatory program, financed through the “Food and Nutrition Service” (FNS) under the USDA, and therefore was shielded from the appropriation crisis. Yet, the shutdown still had side effects:

• Loss of new applicants – The USDA furloughed staff who processed new SNAP applications, so “no new benefits were issued” for the duration of the shutdown. The article highlights a story of a single mother who had to wait an extra month to get a new benefit after the shutdown ended.
• Processing backlogs – Although current benefits continued, the article notes a “dramatic backlog of applications.” By the time the shutdown was resolved, the backlog had grown to over 50,000 pending cases in some states.
• Reduced outreach – The USDA’s outreach and education efforts halted, meaning many people were unaware that they still qualified. A quote from an FNS representative in the article says, “We lost a critical window for outreach, and that’s why many eligible families missed out.”

Overall, the program’s continued operation helped prevent a deeper wave of hunger, but the shutdown still slowed the flow of new benefits and created a backlog that would take weeks to resolve.

4. The Legal and Political Underpinnings

The Fox News article frames the shutdown as a result of the “federal appropriations process,” wherein the House and Senate failed to pass a continuing resolution (CR) before the fiscal year’s end. This failure is described as a “political standoff” between Trump, who insisted on a “pay‑only” CR that would reduce discretionary spending, and congressional Democrats, who wanted a full CR that would keep all programs funded.

The article cites the statutory requirement that “federal employees be paid at least 80 % of their base pay” even during a shutdown, which the Treasury Office of Management and Budget had to arrange. This arrangement “prevented a wage‑payment crisis for the millions of federal workers furloughed,” but the article notes that many still faced a 2–4 week lag in paychecks. A key takeaway is that while mandatory programs like Social Security and SNAP remained intact, discretionary programs—such as the TSA, the USDA’s outreach arm, and a host of other services—were at the mercy of Congress’s willingness to fund them.

5. Everyday Stories: The Human Side of the Shutdown

What makes the article compelling is its focus on individual narratives:

• Mary Johnson, a 72‑year‑old retiree – She describes how “her benefits were paid on time, but the call center was completely unresponsive for a week.” She stresses that “the uncertainty was stressful, even if the money came through.”
• Alex Ramirez, a food‑stamp recipient – Ramirez explains that he “could not apply for a new benefit while the USDA was closed.” He says, “We had no way to know if we still qualified until after the shutdown.”
• Judy Han, a flight‑attendant – Han recounts how “the airport’s security line was jammed; we had to re‑screen passengers because the TSA couldn’t confirm their status.” She underscores how “this added an extra hour to every trip.”

These vignettes ground the statistics in real‑world experience, making clear that the shutdown’s impact extended far beyond the headlines.

6. The Aftermath and the Lessons Learned

The article concludes by noting that the 2018‑2019 shutdown prompted an industry‑wide shift toward more flexible staffing models in the airline sector, a re‑evaluation of how food‑stamps outreach is conducted, and a renewed debate over the structure of Social‑Security funding.

• Airlines have since adopted more robust “on‑site” TSA liaison teams that can operate even if federal staff are furloughed.
• The USDA has increased its use of contractors and streamlined its application process to reduce future backlogs.
• SSA has improved its customer‑service infrastructure to handle spikes in calls and claims.

The article ends with a note that the shutdown “was a stark reminder that our reliance on federal appropriations can have ripple effects that reach all corners of the nation.” While mandatory programs such as Social Security and SNAP can continue during a shutdown, the ancillary services that support them are not immune to disruption.

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