Originally published on 3/24/26

As the 2026 partial government shutdown continues, many Americans are wondering, “Will my SSI checks arrive on time?” And it’s not just Supplemental Security Income (SSI) they’re worried about. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wait times, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and Medicare coverage are also cause for concern for millions of Americans across the country. Below, we share everything Americans need to know about SSI and the other government-funded programs during this shutdown and even share details on how the shutdown is going to come to an end anytime soon. 

What to know about the 2026 partial government shutdown 

Beginning on February 14, 2026, this partial government shutdown largely centers around lawmakers deciding how best to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), TSA and more. It’s the second partial government shutdown this year, and the third shutdown overall since President Donald Trump took office in early 2025. 

Currently, DHS is run by former Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, but when the shutdown first began, Kristi Noem was at the helm. She was removed by President Trump and is now working as a special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas” Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere. 

“He’s[Mullin] a courageous person,” Texas Senator John Cornyn said yesterday, per NBC News. “It’s a very challenging job under the best of circumstances, and this [meaning the partial government shutdown centered around the DHS] may not be the best of circumstances.”

Will the 2026 partial government shutdown impact April’s Social Security payments? 

April SSI payments are scheduled to go out on Wednesday, April 1. Currently, 7.4 million people receive money from the government-funded program for their everyday expenses, so it’s understandable why recipients might be worried about whether they’ll still get their money with the government shut down.  

Thankfully, since SSI—and all other forms of Social Security payments–are considered by the government a necessity, the benefits will still be sent out as normal. You can view the full payment schedule below. 

• If you receive SSI, your benefits will be sent out on Wednesday, April 1. 
• If you received Social Security before May 1997 or are receiving both Social Security and SSI, your monthly Social Security benefits—not SSI—will be sent out on April 3. 
• If you were born on the 1st through the 10th of the month, your benefits will be sent out on Wednesday, April 8. 
• If you were born on the 11th through the 20th of the month, your benefits will be sent out on Wednesday, April 15. 
• If you were born on the 21st through the 31st of the month, your benefits will be sent out on Wednesday, April 22.

Will other government-funded programs be affected by the partial government shutdown? 

Since SNAP, Medicare and Medicaid are also necessary government-funded programs, those benefits will also remain unaffected. 

The one organization that is seeing major setbacks, though, is the TSA. Airports are seeing longer security wait times since many TSA agents are either quitting or not showing up to work without a paycheck. In a bid to help with airport security, President Trump sent ICE agents to several major airports. 

“You know, certainly a highly trained ICE law enforcement officer can cover an exit. Make sure people don’t go through those exits, enter an airport through the exits and stuff like that, relieve that TSA officer to go to screening and to reduce those lines,” White House border czar Tom Homan said on CNN on Sunday. “Wherever we can provide extra security — I don’t see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine because [they’re] not trained in that. There are certain parts of security that TSA is doing, that we can move them off those jobs and put them in specialized jobs, help move those lines.”

When will the partial government shutdown end? 

The Senate is working on a deal that could end the partial government shutdown. If they pass it, it will then go to the House of Representatives and eventually end up on President Trump’s desk. If it does end up at the White House, the president warns that he won’t pass anything until his highly controversial Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act—which centers around voting—is passed. 

Lawmakers are also saying that even if one of the branches of government reaches a deal, there is no confirmation that the other ones will as well. 

“Here we are a month into this, and DHS is still not funded and there’s really no end in sight,” Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson told NewsNation earlier this week. “I’m not going to defend Congress. It is horribly broken. The Senate is horribly broken [and] we need a paradigm shift in terms of how we govern this country.”

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/life/money/will-ssi-payments-continue-during-a-government-shutdown