Trump commemorates Social Security's 90th anniversary and celebrates ‘the largest tax break’ for seniors in the nation's history
In his speech, President Donald Trump reaffirmed his commitment to protect and improve this program, fulfilling his campaign promises, such as eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits for the vast majority of seniors.
President Trump in the Oval Office (File).
President Donald Trump issued a presidential proclamation to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the Social Security Act, along with a speech at the White House by Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano highlighting his administration's accomplishments in modernizing and strengthening this vital program that benefits nearly 72 million Americans.
Originally signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935, the Social Security Act created a federal safety net to support citizens in cases of unemployment, illness, disability, death and old age.
In his statement, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to protect and improve this program, fulfilling key campaign promises such as eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits for the vast majority of seniors.
Delivering on the "Zero Taxes" Promise
One of the highlights of the proclamation is the implementation of the Big Beautiful Bill, now national law, which exempts most Social Security beneficiaries from paying federal taxes on their income from the program.
According to the White House, this measure, described as “the largest tax break for seniors in the history of our country” ensures a significant financial relief for retirees, bolstering the economic stability of millions of older Americans.
Customer service improvements
The Trump Administration has prioritized customer service transformation at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Notable accomplishments include:
- Increased phone capacity: SSA handles 70% more calls than last year, reducing the average response time from 30 minutes to just six minutes, a decrease of 80%.
- Automation and accessibility: 90% of calls to the national hotline are now handled through automated self-service options or callbacks, minimizing wait times.
- Optimized face-to-face service: Wait times at field offices have decreased by 23%, with a five-fold increase in the number of appointments scheduled compared to the previous year. All field offices are fully staffed, and employees have returned to work face-to-face five days per week.
Technological advances
SSA has implemented significant technological improvements under Trump's leadership:
- Uninterrupted Access to Online Accounts: Online accounts are now available 24/7, eliminating the 29 hours per week of scheduled downtime. This allowed more than 280,000 additional customers to access their accounts in the first two weeks after the upgrade.
- System modernization: A new recording and transcription system replaces obsolete hardware, improving accuracy and saving millions of dollars annually. In addition, 92% of field offices have upgraded their telephone technology.
Reducing backlogs and prepayments
SSA has made gains in operational efficiency:
- Backlog reduction: Initial disability claims are down 26% from their historic high, with processing times reduced by five days and disability hearing wait times cut by 60 days.
- Early payments: Under the Social Security Fairness Act, more than 3.1 million payments, totaling $17 billion, were sent to eligible beneficiaries five months ahead of schedule.
Fighting fraud and abuse
The Trump Administration has emphasized fiscal responsibility and protecting the program from fraud:
- Significant Savings: SSA identified more than $1 billion in savings and cost improvements this fiscal year.
- Reducing improper payments: The agency has addressed billions of dollars in improper payments, including suspension of payments to deceased individuals and exclusion of ineligible beneficiaries.
- Payroll Data Exchange: A new system will transmit information directly from payroll providers, projected to save billions of dollars over the next decade.
- Border security: Trump underscored policies to ensure that Social Security and Medicare benefits are reserved for U.S. citizens, preventing abuse by undocumented immigrants, in line with a memorandum signed on April 15 that reinforces the already existing ban on undocumented immigrants accessing these benefits.
Commitment to the future
In his proclamation, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening the retirement system, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and ensuring economic security for future generations.
“We recognize the countless contributions of every American senior who has invested their time, talent, and resources into our Nation’s future,” he stated, underscoring the importance of preserving this "monumental legislative achievement" for the citizens who have funded it.
With these reforms, the Republican Administration seeks to position Social Security as a more efficient, accessible and sustainable program.
Trump's response to Warren and Sanders' criticism of Social Security
In a more elevated tone, the Republican added: "She's a nutjob. I watched her the other night. She's all hopped up endorsing a communist in New York City, and she was all excited and jumping up and down," referring to Warren's endorsement of Zohran Mamdani, the Socialist candidate for mayor of New York. "She's got to take a drug test. She really, though, she's got to take a drug test. There's no way somebody can act that way and be normal."
For her part, Sen. Elizabeth Warren warned that "Social Security is under attack like never before," noting concerns about staffing cuts at the Social Security Administration and the impact of Republican policies, she said, could weaken the program in the long run.
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