If social security funds are held in a trust fund, why would not raising the debt ceiling impact social security payments? Wouldn't the trust fund be paying the beneficiaries from its reserves? At least certainly for the short period of time until a debt ceiling agreement was reached? I mean, the two parties generally cave after a very short period of time and pass a new bill.
The context here is the current battle in congress. One of the points of FUD is that if the debt ceiling isn't increased, seniors and those on disability may not receive their social security check. My question pertains to if social security is supposedly funded by holdings in the Social Security Trust Fund, which one would expect to be a reserved bucket of cash and other equitable holdings, then why wouldn't payments be made to those on SS from that trust fund, at least for the short duration of a potential debt ceiling impasse.