The Social Security Administration email praised President Donald Trump’s leadership. Senate Democrats have accused the secretary of sending “misleading” and “politicized” messages to seniors.
US to phase out most paper checks for federal benefits
The federal government will begin phasing out paper checks for Social Security and other federal payments by September 30.
cheddar
WASHINGTON – Democratic senators sent a scathing email to the head of the U.S. Social Security Administration this week, accusing him of “attacking the American people with overtly partisan emails” touting President Donald Trump’s leadership.
“This was an unusual communication with no legitimate purpose. Instead of receiving necessary information and important communication about benefits from SSA, recipients received a partisan and political message that included multiple misleading statements praising President Trump,” Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Tammy Baldwin, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Ben Ray Lujan wrote on Tuesday.
The Social Security Administration has a history of being viewed as a bipartisan organization, with Secretary Frank Bisignano vowing during his 2025 confirmation hearing to “run the Social Security Administration in an independent and bipartisan manner.”
Now, Democrats are accusing the commissioner of breaking his promise again, citing the first case resolved a year ago this week during a similar partisan communications session.
The letter was sent in response to a July 2 email signed by Bisignano commemorating the 250th anniversary.th National Day of the United States of America. Democrats are seeking details about the number of emails sent and the source of the email list.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are protecting and strengthening Social Security,” Bisignano, who is also CEO of the Internal Revenue Service, said in an email reviewed by USA TODAY.
The big, beautiful bill included a deduction for senior citizens. But how much?
Democrats took issue with Bisignano’s claims that President Trump’s Big Beautiful Act would provide “tax cuts” and “relief” to older Americans on its first anniversary. The senators characterized the claim as misleading, saying most seniors are not eligible for benefits and for those who are eligible, a $7,500 claim would only amount to a $900 tax break.
The policy in question is the expansion of deductions for the elderly.
This deduction allows filers age 65 and older to claim an additional $6,000 deduction per person, or $12,000 for married couples filing jointly, as long as their gross income is less than $75,000, or $150,000 for joint filers.
According to the Treasury Department, more than 35 million seniors have applied for expanded deductions, compared to more than 59 million seniors receiving Social Security benefits, according to June enrollment reports.
An organization known for not getting involved in politics
Jeff Nesbitt, former deputy director of communications for the Social Security Administration, said emails from the Social Security Administration to beneficiaries typically include important administrative or policy changes. He said there is a “very large list” of tens of millions of people, and administrators could “directly email everyone who has Medicare through Social Security or Social Security.” It is unclear whether that is the same list used in Bisignano’s email.
“For years, if not decades, both Republican and Democratic presidents have respected the principle that communication to Social Security recipients is a privilege and free of partisan politics,” Nesbitt told USA TODAY, adding that Social Security recipients “have total trust in the Social Security Administration to look out for their financial interests.”
Nesbitt, who served in the Biden administration, said he always refused requests from the White House to include messages in Social Security emails. However, he added that there were no clear rules prohibiting it.
“People in Social Security, especially political appointees, have a duty to say, ‘No, that’s not appropriate,’ and there are only a handful of them. That’s what I did, and I thought every previous secretary and deputy secretary would have done that,” Nesbitt said.
Alicia Munnell, a career retirement expert and current Social Security recipient from Massachusetts, said the email was “unprecedented.”
“It (politics) had never been talked about before,” Munnell, who headed the Center for Retirement Research at Boston University, said of his research. “All of the committee members have been very careful to make sure that there is no connection whatsoever to involving the president in the agency’s messaging.”
Manel, a Social Security recipient, found the email in her inbox.
“I think the most basic thing is that people are nervous to know that their Social Security benefits are going to be politicized in some way, which is the most important source of income for people in retirement,” she told USA Today.
what’s next
Democratic groups asked Bisignano to respond to a list of questions by Aug. 11. Information was requested regarding the recipients of the emails and which parties were involved in their creation. “You have promised to lead SSA in an independent and bipartisan manner. Please explain how sending this email is consistent with your promise,” they wrote in their request.
The Social Security Administration did not respond to USA Today’s request for comment.
