Frank Bisignano, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Commissioner of Social Security Administration, testified at his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing in March. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

One of the hallmarks that set the Social Security Administration apart from other government programs was its sedulous avoidance of anything resembling partisan politics. That was a key to its overwhelming popularity among Americans.

Apparently, those days are over.

The change occurred July 3, when the agency sent an email to millions of beneficiaries headlined “Social Security Applauds Passage of Legislation Providing Historic Tax Relief for Seniors.” It reproduced the email as a press release on its website.

The reference was to the budget bill that had received final congressional passage that day, and was signed by President Donald Trump on July 4. The message text said the agency was “celebrating the passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill, a landmark piece of legislation.”

It said the measure “ensures that nearly 90% 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.”

A few things must be noted about this message. One is that it’s a massive breach of norms for the agency. “It was unprecedented for SSA — an agency that historically has avoided politics — to take a political ‘victory lap’ on Trump’s behalf,” stated the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, “particularly on a bill that endangers the long-term care and nutrition benefits of millions of seniors.” The committee called the message “blatantly political and misleading.”

But that’s only the start of what was wrong with this message.

It was not merely misleading about what’s in the budget bill, but factually inaccurate. The Social Security Administration had to append a correction to its press release, though one hasn’t gone out to those who received it via email — millions of Americans who are either receiving benefits or who signed up for informational updates from the agency (including myself).

“Sending propaganda to the millions on SSA’s lists is unprecedented & dangerous,” Kathleen Romig, a former Social Security official who now performs analyses at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, wrote on Bluesky.

Its inaccuracies about the budget bill and its effect on beneficiaries and the program itself, she added, “undermines trust” in Social Security communications, “making people more vulnerable to scams.”

Let’s take a look. 

“The new law includes a provision that eliminates federal income taxes on Social Security benefits for most beneficiaries, providing relief to individuals and couples,” it said. “Additionally, it provides an enhanced deduction for taxpayers aged 65 and older, ensuring that retirees can keep more of what they have earned.”

To begin with, it’s the “enhanced deduction” for taxpayers 65 and older that “eliminates federal income taxes for most beneficiaries.” In other words, the agency implied that two provisions of the budget bill reduce taxes for seniors, when in fact there’s only one. The agency corrected the press release July 7, so that the second sentence now reads, “It does so by providing an enhanced deduction for taxpayers aged 65 and older.” 

Moreover, as labor economist Teresa Ghilarducci observed at Forbes, “the bill doesn’t do anything directly to Social Security.” A provision that would have specifically exempted Social Security benefits from taxes was dropped from the bill when it came under consideration by the Senate.

The claim that beneficiaries will “no longer pay federal income taxes on their benefits” is also inaccurate: The enhanced deduction — $6,000 for single filers, $12,000 for couples — will expire in 2028, unless it’s extended by Congress. It’s also limited by income: The full deduction is available only to singles up to $75,000 in income, $150,000 for couples. The deduction phases out above those levels, zeroing out for singles with $175,000 in income or higher, $250,000 for couples.

The deduction applies to all income, not just Social Security.

The flawed, partisan message shows that the current administration doesn’t care enough about that trust to make sure that its communications with its beneficiaries and the public meet the highest standards, as millions of Americans had come to expect.

 

Michael Hiltzik is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.