say about the budget mess. now it s time to see what you think about the shutdown. i m going to read your e-mails and tweets coming up next. [ male announcer ] eligible for medicare?
renewing your passport and trip you planned to the national park or mutual may not happen and if you re a veteran, some services may be disrupted. what won t be impacted? social security checks will remain on time and the postal service will remain open and law enforcement agencies like the fbi and dea will keep operating. so no surprise the americans are fed up with congress with an approval rating of 10%. a new all-time low. the question now is which side blinks first? in washington, i m shaun jnnon travis. one group despite the shutdown will get paid is the men and women in uniform and one thing both sides seemed to have agreed to last night. barbara starr tells us, those who are ready to serve may be hit hard. reporter: for 3.3 million disabled veterans, the budget mess in washington is about to affect them in a big way.
that part of it. congressman sean duffy, thank you for joining me this morning. i appreciate it. thanks, carol. republicans and democrats can t agree on much of anything as they battle over a spending plan. but they did agree on one thing. to keep on paying troops. still, another concern is how the government shutdown may hurt veterans in the long run. cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr with that side of the story. hi, barbara. reporter: well, good morning, carol. yeah, the troops, even those on the front lines, that s now been resolved. they will be paid, funny thing, that anyone was considering they wouldn t be. but now the impact is growing and it is the veterans that may feel the brunt. for 3.3 million disabled veterans, the budget mess in washington is about to affect them in a big way. veterans who sacrificed for their country will find their support centers unstaffed. reporter: if the government shutdown stretches late into the month, the department of veterans a
be in operation. unless they are in a federal building that has been closed as a result of the shutdown. but government officials say passports and visas will be processed. and the mail will still get through. the u.s. postal service will stay on duty. you ll get your bills. the u.s. government shutdown could delay paychecks for veterans and other military families. pentagon correspondent barbara starr reports on what else can go wrong. reporter: for 3.3 million disabled veterans, the budget mess in washington is about to affect them in a big way. veterans, who sacrificed for their country, will find their support centers unstaffed. reporter: if the government shuts down and it stretches into late october, the department of veterans affairs will run out of money. and that means disability and pension checks could stop for elderly and ill veterans. advocates are outraged. it s what they need to pay rent, to pay food. it s not their total income but
serving members of the armed forces. this is still a lot of uncertainty about how the shutdown could affect military veterans. and barbara starr has more of that. reporter: for 3.3 million disabled veterans, the budget mess in washington is about to affect them in a big way. veterans who have sacrificed for their country will find their support centers unstaffed. reporter: if the government shuts down and it stretches into late october, the department of veterans affairs will run out of money. and that means disability and pension checks could stop for elderly and ill veterans. advocates are outraged. it s what they need the pay rent to pay food. it s not their total income, but it is a significant part of it. and taking that out of the mix because the government can t get its act together is really dangerous for these men and women who need it the most irs disability payments can reach $3,000 a month. for the nation s war wounded, it can be a financial lifeline.