Overview

• At an Oval Office ceremony marking the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act, President Trump highlighted a new $6,000 deduction under the One Big Beautiful Bill that will exempt 88% of seniors from federal taxes on their benefits.
• The Social Security Administration confirmed it updated records for about 275,000 individuals no longer holding legal status, framing the change as an anti-fraud measure that critics say lacks full transparency.
• Commissioner Frank Bisignano touted reduced phone wait times and a shift to a “digital-first” model, yet independent reporting notes that public performance metrics have been removed and questions remain about the authenticity of the improvements.
• Thousands of SSA positions have been cut this year and field offices scaled back, prompting warnings from unions and Democratic lawmakers about rising service delays and loss of institutional knowledge.
• The program’s chief actuary and outside analysts warn that the combined impact of recent tax cuts and legislative reforms will accelerate trust-fund depletion into the early 2030s, raising urgent calls for further solvency measures.