If we default, when do Social Security checks stop coming?

[econoclast]

61. Existing debt including SS bonds constitutionally guaranteed

Section four of the fourteenth amendment REQUIRES that the existing debt be paid.

Reading the historical background of section four clearly indicates that the amendment was designed to (1) extinguish forever all debts incurred by the Confederacy ... ie. if you loaned money to the Confederacy you were OFFICIALLY never getting paid. Period. (2) Guaranteeing that existing Federal (Union) debt HAD TO BE PAID. There was a fear that Senators/Congressmen from former Confederate States might try some "default" chicanery as retribution against the Union. So section 4 nipped that in the bud by Constitutionally GUARANTEEING the existing Federal debt.

So a default on the existing debt SHOULD be unconstitutional under section 4.

Re US treasuries held by SSTF
These SHOULDN'T be a problem. Why? Because if the SSTF has a cash shortfall they redeem some of their existing bonds. The act of redemption REDUCES the debt by the amount redeemed .... Thereby making some room under the debt ceiling and allowing the Treasury to issue a like amount of NEW bonds to raise the cash to give to the SSTF.

This process is debt-neutral. ie it doesn't end up increasing the outstanding debt so it could be done without breaching the debt ceiling.

Moreover, the debt held by the SSTF should be guaranteed by section 4 of the 14th amendment.