https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/social-security-administration-sends-misleading-email-lauding-trump-s-new-tax-cuts-law/ar-AA1HZP87
But it does not eliminate federal taxes on Social Security. Budget reconciliation, the arcane process Senate Republicans used to pass the bill while avoiding a Democratic filibuster, does not allow changes to be made to Social Security.
The Trump package does, however, include a temporary tax deduction of up to $6,000 for seniors, ages 65 and older, and $12,000 for married seniors. Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers argued last month that nearly nine in 10 seniors would not pay any federal taxes on their Social Security benefits because the new deduction would eliminate their tax burden.
“Under the One Big Beautiful Bill, 51.4 million seniors — 88% of all seniors receiving Social Security income — will pay no tax on their Social Security,” the council wrote.
Trump, who promised on the campaign trail in 2024 he would kill taxes on Social Security, has been repeating the false claim the legislation does just that. He made the claim at a rally in Iowa on Thursday night and at Friday's bill-signing ceremony.
So, it still effectively eliminates taxes on SS benefits for 88% of seniors thru the $6,000/$12,000 deduction, ACCORDING TO TRUMP'S COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS (there is a MAGI phaseout not mentioned in the article or the SSA letter), but this deduction is NOT ADDITIONAL to a direct income tax cut on SS benefits, contrary to what the SSA letter states.
The Council of Economic Advisers always is a part of the current administration chosen by the current administration. It is not a federal agency of mostly career bureaucrats or anything like that. It is nakedly partisan and doesn't pretend to be otherwise. So there is an element of dubiousity in this.
Former SSA officials and congressional Democrats said they were appalled by what they viewed as a highly political email being sent to Americans by a federal agency.
It may be a first for SS Admin, but its not the first by the federal government. I remember the Treasury Dept snail-mailing everyone touting the $300 G.W. Bush refund back in 2001 ($300 singles, $500 single parents, and $600 married couples) -- Google "GW Bush $300 tax refund in 2001".
I don't remember the wording anymore, but it was definitely laudatory. (lavatory?)
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