Kansas Citians are feeling the effects of the first government shutdown since 2019, with federal workers facing delayed paychecks, Social Security services slowing and families bracing for higher health care bills.
The big picture: Kansas City has over 30,000 federal workers. The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 guarantees back pay, but bills don’t wait.
Case in point: “It’s devastating to find ourselves here again; pawns in a huge and consequential budget game that we’re bearing the brunt of,” Garth Stocking, a Kansas City–based Social Security technical expert and AFGE Local 1336 member, tells Axios.
- “This one feels different,” Stocking said. “The very things Kansas Citians need from Social Security and other agencies are in danger. Services you expect and have been getting for 90 years — all that is in doubt.”
- He added that SSA workers have been told to stop routine services during the shutdown, including benefit verifications, replacement Medicare cards and overpayment processing.
Zoom out: Social Security and Medicare benefits continue, but the SSA’s September contingency plan furloughs 6,197 employees nationwide, pausing benefit verifications and new Social Security cards.
- SNAP benefits are covered through October, though extended disruptions could affect timing for families.
By the numbers:…