Latest news with #USSocialSecurityAdministration
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Blatant misinformation': Social Security Administration email praising Trump's tax bill blasted as a ‘lie'
An email sent by the US Social Security Administration (SSA) that claims Donald Trump's major new spending bill has eliminated taxes on benefits for most recipients is misleading, critics have said. The reconciliation bill – which the president called the 'one big, beautiful bill' before signing it on Friday after Republicans in Congress passed it – includes provisions that will strip people of their health insurance, cut food assistance for the poor, kill off clean energy development and raise the national debt by trillions of dollars. But the bill also 'eliminates federal income taxes on social security benefits for most beneficiaries, providing relief to individuals and couples', the previously apolitical SSA stated in an email circulated on Thursday. Frank Bisignano, the commissioner of the agency, said in a statement that nearly 90% of social security beneficiaries will no longer pay federal income taxes on their benefits. 'This is a historic step forward for America's seniors,' Bisignano said. '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.' However, the spending bill does not actually eliminate federal taxes on social security due to the rule constraints of passing a bill this way – through the reconciliation process, to avoid a Democratic filibuster. Instead, the legislation provides a temporary tax deduction of up to $6,000 for people aged 65 and older, and $12,000 for married seniors. These benefits will start to phase out for those with incomes of more than $75,000 and married couples of more than $150,000 a year. Previous SSA officials said that the Trump administration's framing of the bill was misleading. 'People are like, 'Is this real? Is this a scam?' Because it's not what they signed up for,' Kathleen Romig, a former senior adviser at the SSA during the Biden administration, told CNN. 'It doesn't sound like normal government communications, official communications. It sounds like – you know – partisan.' 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.'
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Some Social Security Recipients Will See Wage Garnishment in Just Weeks
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In roughly 20 days, some Social Security recipients could experience wage garnishment as a higher Social Security claw back rate returns. Roughly 2 million Americans owed money to the Social Security Administration due to overpayments in 2023, according to KFF and Cox Media group. Starting July 24, the higher wage garnishments will go into effect until the full overpayment has been resolved. Why It Matters President Donald Trump has implemented a wide range of changes to the Social Security Administration (SSA). In addition to ending the use of paper checks by October, Trump also appointed former Fiserv CEO Frank Bisignano as the new SSA commissioner. The Department of Government Efficiency also instructed the agency to cut 7,000 SSA jobs. For beneficiaries who have been mistakenly overpaid, losing Social Security benefits could have severe consequences on their ability to pay for basic necessities. Roughly 21 percent of married couples and 45 percent of single recipients rely on Social Security for 90 percent or more of their income, according to SSA estimates. A sign is seen outside a US Social Security Administration building, November 5, 2020, in Burbank, California. A sign is seen outside a US Social Security Administration building, November 5, 2020, in Burbank, California. VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images What To Know In some circumstances, the SSA overpays Social Security recipients due to either miscalculations on their part or the recipient failing to update their earnings information. In March, the SSA said it would be bringing back its 100 percent claw back rate for Social Security recipients who were mistakenly overpaid by the government. During Joe Biden's presidency, that rate was set at 10 percent to allow seniors more breathing room to pay for their basic necessities. However, the SSA updated that garnishment rate to 50 percent in April. "When we determine an individual receiving Title II benefits is overpaid, we send them a notice requesting a full and immediate refund and inform them of their right to request reconsideration or a waiver of recovery," the SSA said in April. "We usually provide 90 days for the individual to request a lower rate of withholding, a reconsideration, or waiver." The 90-day period from the SSA's statement on April 25 ends July 24, meaning more than a million recipients could see their payments impacted. However, those who have been overpaid can file for an overpayment waiver. Form SSA-632BK asks for forgiveness for the overpayment if it was not your fault and it would create financial hardship. To get this approved, you'll need proof that repaying the money would create a significant hardship. Beneficiaries can also file Form SSA-561 to appeal the claim you were overpaid. Newsweek reached out to the SSA for comment via email. What People Are Saying Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: "Most recipients don't realize they've been overpaid until they receive a letter from the SSA. Without regularly reviewing your earnings history and benefit statements, overpayments can go unnoticed. Even if the error wasn't your fault, you're still responsible for repayment—unless you appeal, request a waiver, or set up a payment plan within the 90-day period." What Happens Next The loss of income could be dire for many Social Security recipients who rely on the benefits for most if not all of their income. A recent report from Gallup found 86 percent rely on Social Security as a "major" or "minor" income source. "The consequences can be significant, especially for retirees living on a fixed income. With inflation still elevated, a 50 percent reduction in benefits could severely impact housing, food, and healthcare," Thompson said. "For many, Social Security is their only source of income—making these garnishments potentially devastating."
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Millions of legal immigrants' lives upended after social security freeze
Millions of legal immigrants may be left unable to work after the US Social Security Administration quietly instituted a rule change to stop automatically issuing them social security numbers. The Enumeration Beyond Entry program is an agreement between the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security, where US Citizenship and Immigration Services would provide social security with information from applicants for work authorization or naturalization. The program began in 2017 under the first Trump administration. Without any public notice, on 19 March, the program was halted, affecting millions of immigrants every year and burdening Social Security Administration offices, as those applicants will now have to visit a Social Security Administration office and apply separately to receive a social security number. Following the freeze, the Trump administration issued a memo on 15 April aimed at preventing undocumented immigrants from receiving social security benefits, but provided no evidence of it being a problem. Trump and Elon Musk, billionaire former leader of the so-called 'department of government efficiency' (Doge) have falsely claimed these programs are being used to attract unauthorized immigrants to vote for Democrats. 'Unauthorized immigrants are not eligible for Medicare or social security retirement benefits. Nor does any evidence exist that unauthorized immigrants fraudulently receive benefits in large numbers,' wrote Geoffrey Sanzenbacher, an economics professor at Boston College, in a blogpost. Lee Thacker moved to south-west Minnesota last summer with his now wife, a native of the US. After getting married, he applied for a work authorization card while his permanent residency application was being processed. When the 52-year-old from Pontypridd in Wales received his work authorization card at the end of April 2025, he began applying for jobs and received a job offer. After he failed to receive his social security number, 'I lost the job,' said Thacker. 'I needed a background check and the company doing the check required a social security number, and the company itself has a policy of not employing people without social security numbers. So I am legally entitled to work, but in practice I can't because no one will employ me without a social security number.' He noted the work authorization form, I-765, still has a checkbox on it to fill out to receive a social security number card, which he did. He paid $260 for the employment authorization card application and was expecting to receive a social security number within two weeks of receiving his work authorization card. Thacker was not informed why until he visited a Social Security Administration field office about half an hour away, where he was informed about the change. In 2022, undocumented immigrants paid $25.7bn in taxes to social security, despite not being eligible to receive the benefits. 'It's definitely affected a lot of individuals. We've tried to warn all of our clients,' said Jennifer Bade, an immigration lawyer based in Boston, Massachusetts. Bade explained the issues and difficulties immigrants face in visiting a Social Security Administration field office, including having to take time off work, language barriers, and issues and delays for immigrants who need a social security number to start a job, open a bank account, or receive a loan. 'The pausing of this program makes no sense,' added Bade. 'It's all just meant to attack immigrants, and it has no actual benefits. Pausing this program literally has no benefits.' Democrats on the House committee on oversight and government reform urged the Social Security Administration to reverse its decision to freeze the program. According to the then ranking member of the committee, the late congressman Gerald Connolly, the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration personally approved the pause despite legal concerns and warnings over the effects of pausing the program. Hope Rudasill of North Carolina said her husband, whose name is being kept anonymous for fear of retaliation, recently filed for a work authorization card, but did not expect the delay in receiving a social security number, as he was told it would be issued automatically when he filed his application. 'My husband hasn't been able to start his job search because most employers require a valid social security number before even considering applications. It's also prevented him from applying for a driver's license which limits his ability to get around independently,' Rudasill told the Guardian. 'We haven't been able to open a joint bank account, which is not only inconvenient for managing finances, but also creates challenges when we go to our adjustment of status interview [an essential part of applying for lawful permanent residency] as a shared bank account is a key piece of evidence to prove we're building a life together and not having that documentation makes the process more stressful.' The rule change came as billionaire Musk pushed misinformation about immigrants and social security benefits, including touting data from the Enumeration Beyond Entry program, falsely claiming it was evidence of fraud. In fiscal year 2024, 3.24m initial employment authorization documents were approved by US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The costs of issuing a social security number through this program in the same year, according to a Social Security Administration memo, was $8 per issuance, compared with $55.80 in a field office. Those field offices are also operating with reduced staff, as the Social Security Administration sought to cut staff by at least 12%, and Doge has terminated leases for at least 47 offices at the agency. The freeze is likely to add even more pressure to staff at the agency, in addition to new phone restrictions implemented by the Trump administration, which will require individuals to make 1.93m additional trips to social security field offices annually. 'I was hoping I would be able to work within a few months of applying for permanent residency, once I got the employment authorization card,' Lee Thacker added. 'If I had known social security cards were no longer being sent out automatically, I would have made an in-person visit shortly after getting my employment authorization card. There must be many people waiting patiently expecting to receive their social security cards. If this is a permanent change local SSA offices will be receiving more in-person visits at a time when staffing numbers are being reduced.' The US Citizenship and Immigration Services did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The Social Security Administration said in an email: 'The Enumeration Beyond Entry (EBE) process is currently paused for noncitizens granted work authorization (I-765) and newly naturalized US citizens (N-400) for 90 days, while the agency is evaluating its enumeration policies and procedures. SSA will continue to process EBE applications for those granted legal permanent resident status (I-485) along with all EBE applications that were filed prior to March 18, 2025.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
In A Surprise To Literally No One, Parents Aren't Naming Their Kids "Vance" Anymore
The baby name Vance is declining in popularity, according to new data from the US Social Security Administration. On Friday, the agency released the official list of most popular baby names in the US in 2024. Between 2023 and 2024, the name Vance fell 41 places, from the 955th most popular baby name for boys to No. 996 ― one of its lowest-ever rankings in the annual SSA lists, which date to the 1880s. 'On the whole, parents are likely avoiding the name Vance because it's simply not so fashionable anymore, but JD Vance is likely accelerating its decline,' Sophie Kihm, the editor-in-chief of Nameberry, told HuffPost. 'Political names tied to presidents and VPs were very common in the early 20th century, but today's parents generally stay away from overt political associations in baby names.' Even looking back to the late 1800s, the more positive influence of politicians on baby names is evident. 'Grover Cleveland pushed both his first and last names into the Top 100 in 1884,' said Abby Sandel, the creator of the baby name blog Appellation Mountain. 'Bryan first trended way back in 1896, when William Jennings Bryan ran for ― and lost ― the presidency. The name Franklin spiked in 1933, as FDR took office.' Kihm noted that modern parents are more likely to use names inspired by celebrities, influencers, and those figures' children than politicians. 'JD Vance is a polarizing figure and, right now, the most dominant association with the name Vance,' Kihm said. 'Parents that may have otherwise considered the name Vance may have nixed it from their lists to avoid assumptions or questions about their political affiliations. Interestingly, though, Elon actually rose by a few births. I bet we'll see that reverse in the 2025 data.' The name Vance briefly dropped off the Top 1,000 list in 1998 and 2000 but quickly recovered. Interestingly, the name rose in popularity from 2022 to 2023 before JD Vance joined the presidential ticket. But if its current trajectory continues, the name Vance may fall off for good this year. Meanwhile, the name Donald dipped 14 spots from No. 658 to No. 672 ― continuing a general trend of decline that goes back decades (with a couple of fleeting boosts after President Donald Trump entered the political arena). 'Vance did have a brief rise in the early 2000s and then again around 2015, the latter influenced by singer Vance Joy,' Kihm explained. 'But overall, it's dropped significantly from its height. Before 1970, Vance was impressively steady in the rankings, hovering in between No. 300 and No. 500.' The name peaked in popularity in 1969 at No. 328 and started appearing more on the pop culture scene over the next decade or so. 'Vance was very much a late 1970s style star,' Sandel said. 'Lance, too. During the 1980s, television series The Dukes of Hazzard cast briefly included a character called Vance Duke.' Both she and Kihm believe the decline of Vance is largely driven by style, even if accelerated by politics. Plus, fans of The Office might associate it too strongly with the 'Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration' character. 'I'm not at all surprised to see that Vance dropped in the rankings,' Kihm said. 'Statistically, it's a dad name or even a grandpa name. Vance was never so popular that it feels inextricably tied to a particular generation ― in this case, Gen X ― but that 'anc' sound found in names like Lance and Nancy has a strongly dated feel.' That doesn't mean all parents have fully rejected political ideals in their baby naming choices, however. 'One hopeful name from the new data that might point to how parents are feeling about the world around us?' Sandel said. 'Truce debuted in the boys' Top 1,000.' This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Buzz Feed
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Buzz Feed
Baby Name Vance Drops In Popularity
The baby name Vance is declining in popularity, according to new data from the US Social Security Administration. On Friday, the agency released the official list of most popular baby names in the US in 2024. Between 2023 and 2024, the name Vance fell 41 places, from the 955th most popular baby name for boys to No. 996 ― one of its lowest-ever rankings in the annual SSA lists, which date to the 1880s. 'On the whole, parents are likely avoiding the name Vance because it's simply not so fashionable anymore, but JD Vance is likely accelerating its decline,' Sophie Kihm, the editor-in-chief of Nameberry, told HuffPost. 'Political names tied to presidents and VPs were very common in the early 20th century, but today's parents generally stay away from overt political associations in baby names.' Even looking back to the late 1800s, the more positive influence of politicians on baby names is evident. 'Grover Cleveland pushed both his first and last names into the Top 100 in 1884,' said Abby Sandel, the creator of the baby name blog Appellation Mountain. 'Bryan first trended way back in 1896, when William Jennings Bryan ran for ― and lost ― the presidency. The name Franklin spiked in 1933, as FDR took office.' Kihm noted that modern parents are more likely to use names inspired by celebrities, influencers, and those figures' children than politicians. 'JD Vance is a polarizing figure and, right now, the most dominant association with the name Vance,' Kihm said. 'Parents that may have otherwise considered the name Vance may have nixed it from their lists to avoid assumptions or questions about their political affiliations. Interestingly, though, Elon actually rose by a few births. I bet we'll see that reverse in the 2025 data.' The name Vance briefly dropped off the Top 1,000 list in 1998 and 2000 but quickly recovered. Interestingly, the name rose in popularity from 2022 to 2023 before JD Vance joined the presidential ticket. But if its current trajectory continues, the name Vance may fall off for good this year. Meanwhile, the name Donald dipped 14 spots from No. 658 to No. 672 ― continuing a general trend of decline that goes back decades (with a couple of fleeting boosts after President Donald Trump entered the political arena). 'Vance did have a brief rise in the early 2000s and then again around 2015, the latter influenced by singer Vance Joy,' Kihm explained. 'But overall, it's dropped significantly from its height. Before 1970, Vance was impressively steady in the rankings, hovering in between No. 300 and No. 500.' The name peaked in popularity in 1969 at No. 328 and started appearing more on the pop culture scene over the next decade or so. 'Vance was very much a late 1970s style star,' Sandel said. 'Lance, too. During the 1980s, television series The Dukes of Hazzard cast briefly included a character called Vance Duke.' Both she and Kihm believe the decline of Vance is largely driven by style, even if accelerated by politics. Plus, fans of The Office might associate it too strongly with the 'Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration' character. 'I'm not at all surprised to see that Vance dropped in the rankings,' Kihm said. 'Statistically, it's a dad name or even a grandpa name. Vance was never so popular that it feels inextricably tied to a particular generation ― in this case, Gen X ― but that 'anc' sound found in names like Lance and Nancy has a strongly dated feel.' That doesn't mean all parents have fully rejected political ideals in their baby naming choices, however. 'One hopeful name from the new data that might point to how parents are feeling about the world around us?' Sandel said. 'Truce debuted in the boys' Top 1,000.'
