Keep the Social Security Administration out of politics
The letter from the Social Security Administration that went out to recipients.
The celebratory July 3 email from the Social Security Administration touting a "historic step forward" came just hours after Congress approved a mega tax and spending bill. "By significantly reducing the tax burden on benefits, this legislation reaffirms President Trump’s promise to protect Social Security and helps ensure that seniors can better enjoy the retirement they’ve earned," wrote Commissioner Frank Bisignano to the tens of millions who have a My Social Security online account.
It was like no communication ever sent from the nation's nonpartisan social insurance program and it should be the very last time the SSA contacts recipients to advance a political agenda.
Retirees and the disabled already were worried about the chaos created in the early days of the Trump administration when Elon Musk recklessly claimed it was a cauldron of fraud. Indiscriminate firings led to reduced hours or closed regional offices as DOGE cut personnel. Wait times increased at call centers and for appointments. The pushback was fierce.
But it's not over. Career SSA administrators were forced out and replaced by more malleable political operatives who agreed with a White House demand to spin the new law into a win. Just last month, the Supreme Court ruled that DOGE could have access to the personal information of more than 70 million Americans in the SSA database — files with personal information including addresses, incomes, assets, medical information, and Social Security numbers.
The fear, now validated, was that once this personal data is taken out of the protected silo of the SSA, it would be used recklessly.
SSA says the email was sent for informational purposes. In the middle of the night, to tout a massive spending bill that polling showed was very unpopular? And the message was spun to the point of misinformation. It claimed "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." Not so.
Trump's attempt to fulfill a campaign promise of ending taxes on Social Security benefits was stymied by the shortcut congressional Republicans used to fast-track the bill. Such taxes are not eliminated, neither directly nor permanently.
The new law gives a temporary, additional deduction to those over age 65 in certain income brackets. You don't need to be getting a Social Security check to take advantage of it. Single taxpayers with a modified adjusted gross income of $75,000 can get a $6,000 deduction. For those married and filing jointly, the income cap is $150,000 and they can claim a $12,000 deduction. The deduction expires in four years. It's certainly better but it does not eliminate all taxes on Social Security. The law will also speed up Social Security's insolvency because it will reduce taxes paid on benefits, which go directly into the trust for future retirees.
Social Security recipients are constantly being warned about scam artists. That's good advice.
MEMBERS OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD are experienced journalists who offer reasoned opinions, based on facts, to encourage informed debate about the issues facing our community.
