In this year alone, about 73 million Americans will receive Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or both, according to the Social Security Administration, with nearly $1.6 trillion in benefits paid out annually. President Trump's agenda, including several key changes to the program, could directly impact Social Security, a significant source of income for most people over age 65. However, the program is on shaky ground and may need to reduce benefits in ten years if Congress doesn't make changes to bolster its finances.
In the past and now, Trump has consistently pledged to "protect" Social Security without cutting benefits or raising the retirement age. However, critics argue that some operational changes have indirectly made access harder for beneficiaries, while supporters highlight tax relief and anti-fraud measures as strengthening the program.
Although it's still early in his second term, here’s what Trump has done with Social Security so far. (A separate story looks at what Trump has done with Medicare so far).
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Changes to Social Security in Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill'
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025, after passing both the House and Senate. Despite the President's campaign pledge to eliminate federal taxes on Social Security benefits, the bill does not eliminate federal taxes on Social Security benefits. Instead, the Bill introduces a temporary increase in the standard deduction for seniors age 65 and older by up to $4,000 from 2025 through 2028, a change that is meant to reduce the taxable income for retirees, particularly those with limited earnings, including Social Security benefits
The enhanced deduction phases out for higher earners, starting at $75,000 in adjusted gross income for single filers and $150,000 for married couples filing jointly. Primarily, this limits benefits to lower- and middle-income seniors. The bill also includes various fiscal policy changes, such as cuts to Medicaid and adjustments in other spending areas.
Read: Five Surprising GOP Senate Bill Tax Changes to Know
New SSA Leadership
Frank Bisignano was confirmed as the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) on May 6, 2025. Since that time, he has made significant changes, including closing several field offices. This past July, the SSA also implemented temporary closures, which has limited phone assistance in key locations. These closures are part of a broader restructuring effort that has resulted in over 7,000 job cuts, and has led to longer wait times for beneficiaries.
These staffing reductions have also raised concerns about the quality of service, with reports by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) indicating that one employee is now responsible for serving 1,480 beneficiaries. These changes have sparked criticism from lawmakers and advocacy groups, who argue that the cuts and closures compromise the agency's ability to serve vulnerable populations effectively.
During his Senate confirmation hearing in March, Bisignano told senators he had ‘not thought about’ privatizing Social Security. He also said that Trump had said that Social Security benefits would not be cut under his administration, a plan he supports.
Read: Social Security Phone Wait Times: The Best Times to Call
Trump signs memo stating non-citizens ineligible for Social Security benefits
President Trump signed a memorandum directing the Social Security Administration to take steps to ensure non-citizens who are ineligible for benefits don’t receive any from the SSA. These actions include:
- Expand the SSA’s fraud prosecutor programs
- Investigate earnings reports of people 100 years old or older with mismatched records
- Evaluate reinstatement of SSA’s civil monetary penalty program
The memo states that all non-citizens who have authorization to work in the U.S. must pay all of the existing Social Security and Medicare taxes, and may be able to draw benefits from those systems if they meet the eligibility requirements. In addition to other factors, permanent residents who are non-citizens have a 5-year residency requirement to access Medicare.
Read: Return to Your Home Country to Retire: Repatriation Retirement
If you have student loan debt in default, your SS checks may be at risk.
As of September 2025, the Department of Education continues to enforce collections on defaulted federal student loans through the Treasury Offset Program, which collects delinquent debts owed to the government by withholding tax refunds and Social Security benefits. For borrowers in default beyond 30 days, wage garnishment can begin, deducting up to 15% of disposable income from paychecks.
“Timely payments are essential—missed ones can tank your credit score and trigger automatic wage garnishment,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon warned in her recent Wall Street Journal op-ed.
If you're in default, the Department recommends visiting the Debt Resolution website right away to submit a payment, enroll in an income-driven repayment plan, or look into loan rehabilitation for relief.
Read: Social Security New Rule: Overpayments Must Be Paid Back 100%. Why It Matters
Trump reinstates National Social Security month
First introduced in 2019 during President Trump’s first administration, National Social Security Month has been reinstated. In 2025, the awareness month ran from April through August 14, when Social Security celebrated its 90th Anniversary. National Social Security Month is a public awareness campaign held in April each year that is dedicated to helping Americans access their benefits. It was canceled during COVID-19 and did not resume under former President Biden.
Read: Americans Optimistic About Future Social Security Benefits
mySocial Security log-in to change
In July 2024, it was announced that users of Social Security's online services were required to create Login.govaccounts if they did not already have one. As a result, starting this past June, the previous mySocialSecurity login option is no longer available. Now, Login.gov and ID.me are the exclusive sign-in methods for accessing your Social Security online services. If you have a Login.gov or ID.me account, you can use your existing account to access your online account.
Read: 15 Social Security Tasks You Can Do Online
SSA pays out retroactive benefits
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has begun paying retroactive benefits and increasing monthly payments to over 3.2 million individuals whose benefits were affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). This change is part of the Social Security Fairness Act, which was signed into law on January 5, 2025.
If you are a public sector employee whose Social Security benefits were reduced or eliminated by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and/or Government Pension Offset (GPO, should have noticed an increase in their monthly payments starting in April 2025, reflecting adjustments made for the previous month of March 2025. Additionally, many individuals are receiving one-time retroactive payments, which cover the increase in their benefit amounts back to January 2024, the month when the WEP and GPO no longer applied.
Read: Social Security Sent Out Billions in Back Payments This Week. Here's What You Need to Know.
DOGE reduces staffing at the SSA
In the early days of his administration, President Trump formed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and appointed Elon Musk as a "special government employee." Although Musk has left the agency, significant cuts continue. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has reduced its staffing to 50,000 employees, down from approximately 57,000. The agency has also identified cost-saving opportunities, with total savings projected to exceed $800 million in fiscal 2025.
Additionally, the SSA has revised its initial plans to significantly reduce phone services, which included eliminating telephone support for claims processing and direct-deposit account transactions. Instead, the agency will implement a more limited change that prohibits direct-deposit modifications via phone while maintaining some level of telephone support for claims processing.
Read: Social Security Administration: DOGE Cannot Make Changes to Benefit Payments
The SSA to close offices
President Trump directed the General Services Administration (GSA) to terminate leases on approximately 7,500 federal offices, including some associated with the Social Security Administration (SSA). However, the SSA has clarified that it has not permanently closed any local field offices. The agency is primarily identifying underutilized spaces for closure.
As of September 2025, the SSA is operating at its lowest staffing level in 25 years, raising concerns about the impact on services for beneficiaries. Starting this past April, individuals can no longer apply for Social Security benefits or make changes to their direct deposit information over the phone. Instead, they must visit local offices or set up online accounts, which may be challenging for older individuals who have difficulty accessing these resources. The SSA has issued a press release to reassure the public of its commitment to service continuity and the absence of permanent local field office closures.
Read: 47 Local Social Security Offices to Close After DOGE Cuts
No more paper Social Security checks
Roughly 456,000 Americans (less than 1% of the total of around 72 million Social Security beneficiaries) receive paper Social Security checks. However, that's about to end soon. An executive order signed by President Trump this past March mandates that the federal government stop sending paper Social Security checks, effective September 30, 2025. That means that if you currently receive a paper check, you must set up a direct deposit of your payments before that date to avoid disruption in your benefits. You can also use a Direct Express card — a prepaid debit card for those without a bank account where the federal government can deposit benefits.
Read: U.S. Treasury to Eliminate Paper Checks: What It Means for Tax Refunds, Social Security
Some workers will pay more Social Security taxes
Needless to say, the main source of funding Social Security comes from payroll taxes, with most workers paying 6.2% of their earnings to Social Security and their employer matching their contribution. But high earners only pay Social Security taxes on a portion of their earnings.
The SSA increases the amount of taxable earnings every year to account for wage inflation. For 2025, the maximum taxable earnings is $176,100.. That number will continue to rise in 2026, which means more revenue collection for Social Security, as some workers pay more in taxes.
Read: Six Changes Coming to Social Security in 2026
In-person identity verification
The Social Security Administration (SSA) reversed its initial plan to end most telephone applications for benefits and direct deposit changes. Instead, on April 14, 2025, the SSA put in place enhanced fraud prevention tools, allowing individuals to complete all claims via telephone.
Applications for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Medicare are exempt from in-person identity proofing and can still be fully completed over the phone. Direct deposit changes can also be requested by phone. The changes to this policy were made in response to backlash from advocates and lawmakers aiming to ensure that everyone could access most services via phone.
Initiatives to become more transparent
The Social Security Administration has implemented several initiatives that it says will "promote greater transparency and accountability within its customer service department." These initiatives include publishing Social Security challenges and actions taken online, releasing weekly operational report meetings on YouTube and increasing the amount of detail shared with the public on wait times.
The SSA's commitment to transparency is part of a broader effort to strengthen customer service, build trust and ensure that beneficiaries are informed about the operations by the agency.
Read: The Average Social Security Check for Retirees in Every State
Recovering Social Security overpayments
Before March 27, 2025, the Social Security Administration (SSA) planned to withhold 100% of a person's monthly benefit to recover overpayments made in error by the agency. However, the SSA restructured this policy, allowing for 100% withholding of benefits for new overpayments. This means that any overpayment notices that were issued on or after this date will result in the full amount being withheld from a beneficiary’s monthly Social Security benefits.
For overpayments assessed before March 27, 2025, the previous 10% withholding rate still applies. Beneficiaries can request a lower repayment rate, appeal the overpayment decision or seek a waiver if the overpayment was not their fault or if repayment would cause financial hardship.
Read: Social Security New Rule: Overpayments Must Be Paid Back 100%. Why It Matters
Trump wants to lower inflation, which will impact COLAs
Lowering inflation can have a positive effect on Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) by stabilizing prices. That, in turn, can help maintain the purchasing power of wages. However, recent tariffs proposed and implemented by Trump may temporarily raise inflation, complicating the efforts to achieve lower COLAs.
Read: Retirees Get a Raise in Their Social Security Benefits
Trump cracks down on immigration
President Trump issued several executive orders related to the enforcement of immigration across the border. Although still speculation at this point, the current immigration crackdown could potentially reduce the labor supply in some industries, such as home health care. These changes could lead to higher prices for some products and higher inflation, which may affect Social Security COLAs.
Read: Are Armed IRS Agents Headed to the Border?
Related Content
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- Six Changes Coming to Social Security in 2026
- Seven Medicare Changes Coming in 2026
- The Average Monthly Social Security Check
- Social Security Turns 90 — Five Important Things to Know
- How Much Would Social Security's 2033 Shortfall Cost You?
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