Social Security email was confusing, inaccurate and cheerleading

Many of you probably received this email from the Social Security Administration this past week.

When I first received this email, I wondered if it was a fake. It was uncharacteristic of any email I’d ever received from Social Security with its cheerleading tone (“celebrating…long-awaited tax relief…meaningful and immediate relief…historic step forward…reaffirms President Trump’s promise, etc.) But it was not fake. I was then pleased to see some heavyweight news organizations weigh in on what was misleading and inaccurate.

The Associated Press reported under this headline:

Excerpts of the AP story:

Trump repeatedly told voters during his 2024 campaign that he would eliminate taxes on Social Security. As his massive legislative package has moved through Congress, the Republican president has claimed that’s what the bill would do.

Trump said on a recent appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that the bill includes “no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime.”

But the AP explains that instead of permanently eliminating the tax, there will be only a temporary deduction for a couple of years. And not all Social Security beneficiaries will be able to claim the deduction.

The Guardian reported:

Excerpt:

Jeff Nesbit, who served as a top SSA official under Republican and Democratic presidents, posted on X: “The agency has never issued such a blatant political statement. The fact that Trump and his minion running SSA has done this is unconscionable.”

New Jersey congressman Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the House’s energy and commerce committee, wrote on X that “every word” of the SSA’s email on Thursday “is a lie”.

“This big, ugly bill doesn’t change that,” Pallone wrote. “It’s disturbing to see Trump hijack a public institution to push blatant misinformation.”

The Washington Post reported:

Excerpt:

Policy experts say the bill does not ax federal income taxes on Social Security benefits — though it does reduce some people’s taxes through the new deduction, which is set to expire after 2028.

“There is no provision in the budget bill that directly ‘eliminates’ or even reduces taxes on Social Security benefits,” said Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

The Post also addressed the surprising nature of the email:

Kathleen Romig, formerly a senior adviser in the Social Security Administration who worked for both Republican and Democratic presidents, described this week’s email from the agency as overly political in praising specific legislation — and referencing a Trump campaign promise to protect Social Security — while past communications were mostly about the logistics of filing and verifying information. An atypical email from a legitimate source could make recipients more likely to fall for scammers in the future, she said.

“Anything unexpected or unusual like this is raising alarm bells from [recipients of the email], as it probably should,” Romig said. “Next time, if they get an email from a fraudster purporting to be SSA, they’re going to be like, ‘Well, last time the thing I thought was scammy was actually legit.’”

This past week there were a couple of other Administration statements that might have had you wondering, “Is this fake or legit?”

• President Trump saying about Democrats: “I hate them, too. You know that? I really do, I hate them. I cannot stand them, because I really believe they hate our country, you want to know the truth,” (This was legit; the President of the United States actually said this. Clarifying, but not unifying.)

• President Trump promoting his tax-cut bill:

  "Think of that: No death tax. No estate tax. No going to the banks and borrowing from, in some cases, a fine banker - and in some cases, Shylocks and bad people.” (This was legit; he really said this. The video doesn’t lie.)

  When told that the term “Shylocks” was anti-semitic, he said, “No, I’ve never heard it that way.” (Apparently the President never read “The Merchant of Venice” or saw the play. It may not align with his cultural interests. But, hey, he announced that an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bout will be held on the grounds of the White House next year. Now that seems to spark his interest.)

Unusual? Unexpected? Not so much anymore.

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