Factchecking Nancy Pelosi

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is busy scaremongering about the prospect of a government shutdown if the Democrats don't agree to Republican budget cuts:

Closing our government would mean our men and women in uniform wouldn’t receive their paychecks, and veterans would lose critical benefits. Seniors wouldn’t receive their Social Security checks, and essential functions from food-safety inspection to airport security could come to a halt.

Over at Federal Times, Stephen Losey factchecks that statement and finds there's not much truth to Pelosi's over-the-top claims:

Where to begin?

Let’s start with her first claim: The military won’t get their paychecks. That wasn’t the case last time the government shut down. A union leader at the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, which handles the military’s payroll, yesterday told me DFAS stayed open last time and kept sending paychecks to service members, even when other large portions of the government weren’t operating. DFAS also told the union that the agency would stay open again this time, thanks to its unique funding structure.

Losey goes on to pick apart the rest of her statement in a fair and thorough manner. Be sure and read the rest before other Democrats start parroting these dubious talking points.