The emails say nearly 9 in 10 Social Security beneficiaries won’t pay income taxes on their benefits in the future. But the Trump tax law did not directly address Social Security.

The Social Security Administration has sent a misleading email to beneficiaries stating that Donald Trump’s sweeping tax cuts and spending law eliminates taxes on Social Security benefits for most recipients.

“The bill 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,” said the email, which multiple beneficiaries shared with NBC News.

“This email went to every Social Security subscriber and every word of it is a lie. Social Security benefits are still taxed. This big, ugly bill doesn’t change that,” New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, wrote on X. “It’s disturbing to see Trump hijack a public institution to push blatant misinformation.”

  • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    edit-2
    1 day ago

    I’m on SSDI, I got this email.

    Here’s the full text:

    Subject:

    Social Security Applauds Passage of Legislation Providing Historic Tax Relief for Seniors

    Body Text:

    The Social Security Administration (SSA) is celebrating the passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill, a landmark piece of legislation that delivers long-awaited tax relief to millions of older Americans.

    The bill 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.

    “This is a historic step forward for America’s seniors,” said Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano. “For nearly 90 years, Social Security has been a cornerstone of economic security for older Americans. 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."

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

    Social Security remains committed to providing timely, accurate information to the public and will continue working closely with federal partners to ensure beneficiaries understand how this legislation may affect them.

    It is probably only true in the sense that… ~90% of Social Security recipients have Social Security as basically their only source of income, basically for a single person if you make under ~$25k a year, thats under the threshold, and your benefits are not taxed.

    So they’re just restating the status quo, and claiming it is actually a massive improvement because of this wonderful thing they did not actually do.

    1984 shit.