That Social Security email about the "big, beautiful bill," explained

Millions of Americans got a confusing email from the Social Security Administration over the weekend, celebrating the passage of the "big, beautiful bill."Why it matters: It's unusual for the agency to blast an overtly political message to its massive email list, which includes retirees and those who've signed up at their website. Tax experts, former agency leaders and advocates for the agency are criticizing the email for spreading misinformation.Zoom in: The email claims that the spending bill "eliminates federal income taxes on Social Security benefits for most beneficiaries." It says this elimination is in addition to providing "an enhanced deduction for taxpayers aged 65 and older, ensuring that retirees can keep more of what they have earned."Reality check: The big bill does contain a big temporary tax break for seniors, who get an enhanced deduction on their federal income tax for the next four years. That will mean fewer seniors will pay taxes on benefits until 2028.However, the bill does not eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits — though President Trump and the White House keep claiming it does. "There is no provision in the budget bill that directly 'eliminates' or even reduces taxes on Social Security benefits," Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, told the Washington Post.By the numbers: The email appears to have gone out to everyone who is signed up for a "My Social Security" account — that's 71 million people.What they're saying: While the agency has sent out press releases, or tweets, from time to time that could be viewed as political, sending a mass email like this to this large a list is something new, say experts."The Social Security Administration's communications shop has been politicized," wrote Nathan Osburn, a former deputy commissioner for the agency, on LinkedIn."I agree," replied Leland Dudek, who was the acting commissioner of the agency, appointed by Trump, during the first few months of the year.The email confused some people who aren't used to hearing from the Social Security agency, says Kathleen Romig, a former senior adviser at the agency. "I've gotten a lot of correspondence from people who never hear from SSA except an annual notice to check their account," said Romig, who is now a director at the liberal Center on Policy and Budget Priorities. Some of them thought it was a scam, she added, claiming the email was "unprecedented."The other side: A Social Security official tells Axios that the agency was just trying to communicate helpful information."The deduction would apply to many of our beneficiaries, and we wanted to share that information with our beneficiaries so that they can take advantage of it," the official said.If we find the email "requires clarification, then we're certainly happy to clarify that," they said. "That hasn't presented itself so far."The agency has sent out information like this before on its various channels, they said.

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