“Government Shutdown 2025: How It Threatens the Financial Stability and Mental Health of People with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses”

Patient Talking with Medical Professional

Millions of Americans living with chronic illnesses depend on disability payments to survive. Here’s how a government shutdown could disrupt lives, heighten stress, and deepen existing inequalities.

When the Government Shuts Down, Some of the Most Vulnerable Are the Ones Who Hurt First

A government shutdown isn’t just a political standoff. For millions of Americans with chronic illnesses and disabilities, it brings fear, uncertainty, and real harm.

 Why this matters

• In 2023, about 13.5 percent of non-institutionalized Americans reported having a disability — that’s roughly 44.68 million people across the U.S. researchondisability.org+1

• Among working-age adults (18–64), about 11.1 percent (≈ 22.2 million people) live with a disability. askearn.org

• The Social Security Administration reports that around 8 million people receive SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) and 7.3 million receive SSI (Supplemental Security Income). Young Marr & Assoc+3Center for American Progress+3AAPD+3

• In some states, the share of adults with disabilities is higher than the national average — for example, Michigan is estimated at ~14.4 percent. Disabled World+1

These are not abstract numbers. These are neighbors. These are people we see — people trying to get by, day by day.

⚠️ What a shutdown can and cannot do — and why “it’s safe” isn’t the full story

• The Social Security Administration currently states that benefit payments for SSDI and SSI will continue despite the shutdown — they are considered mandatory spending. AAPD+4SSA+4CBS News+4

• But “continue payments” is not the same as “no disruption.” The administrative side is vulnerable: new applications, appeals, and reconsiderations may face delays or suspensions. Young Marr & Assoc+3Disability Scoop+3Michael Armstrong Law+3

• Some in-person services, phone support, or case processing by local Social Security offices may be limited or paused. Disability Scoop+1

• Meanwhile, other federal programs that many disabled people rely on — from hospital-at-home services to disability support programs — may face funding gaps or uncertainty. Politico+1

In short: the lifeline (checks) may not be cut — but the supports, scaffolding, and pathways forward can be strained, delayed, or lost.

💔 The human cost — beyond dollars

Chronic illness and disability already carry daily stress: medical appointments, mobility challenges, medication costs, fatigue, mental health burdens. Add on:

• Heightened uncertainty and anxiety — will your appeals be processed? When will a decision come?

• Interrupted care and support — delays in programs you depend on can mean missed therapies, delayed equipment, or gaps in attendant care.

• Emotional and mental health strain — stress is not benign. Many with chronic conditions see worsening symptoms when anxiety is prolonged.

• Financial precarity — benefits can help with rent, utilities, medication, transportation. Any delay or cut in support is not just a disruption — it threatens survival.

Imagine living with a condition like MS, lupus, severe asthma, or a neurological disorder. You build life carefully around medical routines, social supports, accessible transportation. Then a shutdown throws a wrench in your plans. What was “steady enough” becomes unstable.

🗣️ What we must demand & what we must do

• Congress must insulate essential disability and health services from political brinkmanship — no one’s quality of life or dignity should be held hostage.

• Maintain full staffing and operations in Social Security and disability agencies, even during lapses, so that administrative processes aren’t stalled.

• Preserve and protect home-based care, assistive technologies, community support programs — these are lifelines for many who can’t “go somewhere else.”

• Raise awareness: share THIS message. Show what these policies feel like in lived experience, not as abstract arguments.

• Support organizations that advocate for people with disabilities — provide legal, financial, or volunteer help if you can.

We cannot let a political impasse become a death sentence for those already fighting every day for their health, stability, and dignity. When one of us is weakened, all of us are diminished.

“A society is judged by how it treats its weakest members.”

Let this shutdown be a moment of reckoning — a call to insist on greater care, protection, and respect for people with chronic illness and disabilities.