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Notes -
Somewhere in the bowels of the U.S. Code, Congress decided that “essential services” stay online in a shutdown. In 42 U.S.C. §5189e the President was given carte blanche to label services essential. So if nothing else, that’d allow it. Maybe there are harder limits on this somewhere. Maybe it’s one of those things that operates on a gentleman’s agreement until someone fucks it up.
Of course, whatever Code governs the shutdowns might explicitly let SSI continue, in which case the point is moot.
See also this article on the Antideficiency Act, which is what enforces most government budgets.
Edit: new favorite section
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