That big Senate bill that settles all budget matters for the next two years that you've been reading about -- it's not quite what it's advertised to be. For one thing, it actually only funds the government through March 23. For another, it's only a budget bill. Budget bills only set top line limits. They don't specify what each agency gets. That's done in appropriations bills. There could easily be a partial government shutdown over one or more of the appropriations bills and the Labor-HHS appropriations bill that includes Social Security is always the most contentious of the appropriations bills. So, we don't know how much Social Security will get and we can't say that the threat of a government shutdown affecting Social Security has passed.
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Sadly Social Security has been squeezed to the point it is bursting at the seems with backlogs and poor service to the public. Of course, program integrity is fully funded with designated funds so it seems the only things being done efficiently have to do with potential culling of the rolls through CDR's and re determinations. So you slow and or lower the rate of approvals and speed up the rate of potential terminations. No wonder the outlays are declining for SSDI/SSI benefit payments. I'm sure other factors are at play here but this process seems to fit the GOP mentality as they try to blame the backlogs on a lack of an appointed SSA Commissioner and claim the programs are tainted with fraud and abuse.
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