An email sent by the Social Security Administration (SSA) celebrating the passage of President Donald Trump’s spending bill has angered politicians, former SSA officials and recipients.
Subscribers to an SSA mailing list received an email from the federal agency early morning on Friday, following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) through Congress.
The email, shared with Newsweek by recipients, is titled “Social Security Applauds Passage of Legislation Providing Historic Tax Relief for Seniors” and touts the benefits of the bill.
Newsweek has contacted the SSA via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The email has raised questions about partisanship at the SSA, which distributes benefits to tens of millions of Americans every month. There are concerns that the message may violate the Hatch Act, which prohibits partisan political activities of most federal executive branch employees, including the SSA and its commissioner.
What To Know
The email was sent early in the morning on Friday, prior to Trump signing the bill later in the day. It claims that 90 percent of Social Security beneficiaries “will no longer pay federal income taxes on their benefits, providing meaningful and immediate relief to seniors who have spent a lifetime contributing to our nation’s economy.” The same message was posted on the SSA website.
While Trump repeatedly promised to nix federal income taxes on Social Security benefits, this has not happened because of congressional rules that prevent amendments to Social Security through the reconciliation process. The OBBBA does, however, include legislation that gives American taxpayers aged 65 and over a $6,000 boost to their standard deduction, which will impact all taxable income, including Social Security benefits, from 2025 through 2028.
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The email also includes a quote from SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano, a Trump appointee, who said the bill is “a historic step forward for America’s seniors” and that it “reaffirms President Trump’s promise to protect Social Security and helps ensure that seniors can better enjoy the retirement they’ve earned.”
However, former SSA officials, Democratic lawmakers and social media users have expressed concerns about the accuracy of the email.
New Jersey Democrat Frank Pallone said on X, formerly Twitter, that “every word of it is a lie,” and accused the Trump administration of disseminating “blatant misinformation.”
“Social Security benefits are still taxed,” he said. “This big, ugly bill doesn’t change that. It’s disturbing to see Trump hijack a public institution to push blatant misinformation.”
Jeff Nesbit, the former deputy commissioner of the SSA under President Joe Biden, said the email was “unbelievable.”
“The agency has never issued such a blatant political statement,” he wrote on X. “The fact that Trump and his minion running SSA has done this is unconscionable.”
Social media users have also raised concerns that the message may violate the Hatch Act, which bars most federal executive branch employees from engaging in partisan political activity while on duty.
“I mean that Social Security email has got to be a Hatch Act violation, correct?” X user Cary Waxler wrote.
Another user said: “Federal agencies must remain neutral. The Hatch Act exists for a reason.”
What’s Next
Newsweek contacted the SSA asking for an explanation regarding the email on Friday and has not yet received a response.
