The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) is facing backlash after sending out an email following the signing of President Trump’s new bill into law.
Trump celebrated Independence Day by signing what he called his “big, beautiful bill,” which had narrowly passed Congress with a 218–214 vote.
The reconciliation bill, which sparked heated debate, was criticized by many, including Trump’s former ally Elon Musk. Despite the controversy, Trump insisted that it fulfills his campaign promises and supports his mission to “make America great again.”
Speaking at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 4, Trump declared: “There can be no better birthday for America than the phenomenal victory we achieved just hours ago when Congress passed the big, beautiful bill to make America great again.”
This nearly 1,000-page overhaul of the federal budget is projected to add roughly $3.4 trillion to the national debt — currently $36.2 trillion — over the next ten years.
Among its provisions are tax breaks Trump pledged during his 2024 presidential campaign, but it also includes cuts to health and food safety programs.
After the bill passed, the SSA sent an email claiming that the legislation had eliminated taxes on benefits for most Social Security recipients. Critics say this was misleading.
In the message, the previously neutral SSA stated that the bill “eliminates federal income taxes on Social Security benefits for most beneficiaries, providing relief to individuals and couples.”
However, New Jersey Representative Frank Pallone, the ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, publicly criticized the SSA on Twitter.
He wrote that “every word” of the SSA’s Thursday email “is a lie,” adding: “This big, ugly bill doesn’t change that. It’s disturbing to see Trump hijack a public institution to push blatant misinformation.”
According to The Guardian, the bill cannot fully eliminate federal taxes on Social Security benefits due to rules around passing a bill via reconciliation.
Instead, the legislation includes a temporary tax deduction of up to $6,000 for individuals 65 and older, and $12,000 for married couples, with the benefits phasing out for individuals earning more than $75,000 and married couples making more than $150,000 annually.
Kathleen Romig, a former SSA senior adviser during the Biden administration, told CNN that the Trump administration’s portrayal of the bill was misleading.
Romig explained: “People are like, ‘Is this real? Is this a scam?’ Because it’s not what they signed up for. It doesn’t sound like normal government communications, official communications. It sounds like — you know — partisan.”
