Problem Solved

 

    If you’ve paid attention to the statements of Commissioner Bisignano you may have noticed that every chance he has had he’s talked about the terrible ratings that Social Security employees have given their agency as an employer, the worst of any large federal agency. He has expressed a strong desire to do something about these ratings, which are derived from surveys done by the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM). 

     The Commissioner can stop worrying about the problem. It’s been solved. OPM has decided to stop doing the surveys.

Social Security Research Shutting Down

      From Plansponsor:

The Retirement and Disability Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is set to close this week following the Social Security Administration’s cuts to research funding that were announced in February.

J. Michael Collins, who led the university’s research center, says the center “is making final close-out paperwork this week” and is “no longer operational.” Wisconsin’s research center was the second center in the retirement and disability research consortium to close in as many weeks, after the National Bureau of Economic Research Retirement and Disability Research Center shut down last week.

The SSA cuts terminated 19 projects at the University of Wisconsin’s center, affecting 100 scholars. The cuts also led to cuts of 100 planned projects through 2029, mainly research that concerned people who rely on Social Security, such as children and people living with a disability, according to the university’s website.   …

The RDRC at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, which collaborates with Brandeis University and the University of Baltimore, lost funding for at least 13 projects as a result of the SSA’s funding cuts, according to Nancy Miller, the center’s co-director …

At Boston College’s RDRC, the center also had to cut projects that were about halfway completed, but it was able to secure independent funding for additional projects, according to Andrew Eschtruth, the director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. The university continues to seek more funders to fill the gap created by the cuts …  

A Presidential Proclamation

On August 14, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Social Security Act -- a monumental legislative achievement that protects our seniors, uplifts our citizens, and sustains the livelihoods of hardworking Americans who devoted their professions to bettering our country. On the 90th anniversary of the establishment of this historic program, I recommit to always defending Social Security, rewarding the men and women who make our country prosperous, and taking care of our own workers, families, seniors, and citizens first. 

To this day, Social Security is rooted in a simple promise: those who gave their careers to building our Nation will always have the support, stability, and relief they deserve. Thanks to my Administration's efforts, Social Security now stands stronger and more resilient than ever before. Following the passage of the historic One Big Beautiful Bill last month, the vast majority of seniors who receive Social Security will pay zero tax on their Social Security benefits -- the largest tax break for seniors in the history of our country. 

To further strengthen Social Security, my Administration is aggressively rooting out all fraud, waste, and abuse that rob our Federal programs of resources -- including stopping payments to the deceased and eliminating benefits for those who do not legally qualify. These measures will save American taxpayers billions of dollars every year and ensure that future generations receive the benefits they spent their lives paying into. At the same time, I am making the Social Security Administration more efficient, more responsive, and more effective than ever before -- reducing wait times and delivering the payments the American people worked hard to earn. I am also proudly restoring strong border security policies to ensure that Medicare and Social Security are preserved for the citizens who paid into them -- not abused by illegal aliens who have no right to be here. 

 On this 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act, we recognize the countless contributions of every American senior who has invested their time, talent, and resources into our Nation's future. On this momentous milestone, we recommit to strengthening our retirement system, protecting programs like Social Security and Medicare against fraud and abuse, and ensuring that every future generation of American citizens has the income security they need and earned. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 14, 2025, as the 90th Anniversary of the Social Security Act. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth. 

DONALD J. TRUMP

Happy 90th Birthday, Social Security!

 

Commissioner Remains In A Self-Congratulatory Mood

 

Social Security Free To Share Data With DOGE

      From The Guardian:

A US appeals court on Tuesday rejected a bid by a group of unions to block the Trump administration government downsizing team known as the “department of government efficiency” (Doge) from accessing sensitive data on Americans.

The Virginia-based fourth US circuit court of appeals in a 2-1 decision said the unions were unlikely to prevail on claims that Doge would violate federal privacy laws by accessing data at the US Department of Education, treasury department, and office of personnel management. ...

The decision reverses a temporary injunction issued by a federal judge in Maryland, which had been paused by the appeals court in April. ...

The fourth circuit on Tuesday said the unions that sued along with a group of military veterans had not shown how they would be injured by Doge accessing agencies’ computer systems. They also probably lacked legal standing to sue because that access is not a “final agency action” that can form the basis of a lawsuit, the court said.

A dissenting judge said it was prudent to temporarily block access to the data while the case plays out, and that the standard his colleagues had imposed on the plaintiffs was too high. ...    

 

Six Myths About Social Security

      With Social Security’s 90th birthday coming up the New York Times has a piece on “6 Myths About It That Won’t Go Away.” Here they are:

Social Security is ‘running out of money

Aging boomers are the problem

Social Security helps drive the deficit

The trust fund is nothing but a pile of I.O.U.s

We need to cut benefits now to pay them later

Waste, fraud and abuse abound

Has Social Security's Chief Actuary Put Her Job In Jeopardy By Delivering Bad News?

     From a letter to Senator Ron Wyden from Karen Glenn, Social Security's Chief Actuary:

... We estimate that implementation of the OBBBA [One Big Beautiful Bill Act] will result in net increased program cost starting in 2025. Over calendar years 2025 through 2034, the total net increase in OASDI [Retirement, Survivors and Disability] program cost is estimated to be $168.6 billion. In addition, the timing of combined OASI [Retirement] and DI [Disability] Trust Fund reserve depletion is accelerated from the third quarter of 2034 under the 2025 Trustees Report baseline to the first quarter of 2034 following implementation of the law. Considered alone, the reserve depletion date for the OASI Trust Fund is accelerated from the first quarter of 2033 to the fourth quarter of 2032. DI Trust Fund reserves are not projected to become depleted during the 75-year projection period. ...