Social Security Administration

House approves funding boost for Social Security Administration

The House of Representatives approved legislation last week to bolster customer service efforts at the Social Security Administration (SSA), advancing a broader funding package aimed at avoiding a government shutdown at the end of this month. Lawmakers paired the funding increase with oversight requirements, instructing the SSA to avoid closing field offices or cut direct […]

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Poll finds broad support for independent Social Security commission

A recent Cato Institute survey of 2,000 adults found strong bipartisan support for creating an independent, nonpartisan commission with authority to address Social Security’s long-term funding shortfall. Seventy-one percent of respondents said they favor Congress establishing such a body, reflecting broad frustration with lawmakers and growing openness to an alternative decision-making process. Support cuts across

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Social Security COLA will increase 2.8% in 2026

The Social Security Administration (SSA) on Friday announced that its cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will rise 2.8% in 2026. Among the 53 million Americans who receive Social Security benefits in retirement, that will translate to an additional $56 per month. The average monthly payment to retirees will rise to $2,056, the SSA reported. The 2.8% increase

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Retirement age could change as Social Security examines all options

With the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget predicting that Social Security’s retirement trust funds will run out by 2032, policymakers are being forced to act fast. When asked during Fox Business News‘s “Mornings with Maria” segment on Thursday whether the retirement age would change, Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Frank Bisignano said “everything’s being

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Bill would end Social Security benefit taxes

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) has introduced the You Earned It, You Keep It Act, which would eliminate federal taxes on Social Security benefits while extending the payroll tax to incomes above $250,000. “Like a lot of Americans, I’ve been paying into Social Security since my first job at 14. But despite decades of paying into

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As Social Security turns 90, what will its future hold?

The Social Security system celebrated its 90th birthday this week. In the wake of this milestone, several policy analysts and news outlets offered their thoughts on the program’s past, present and future. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) noted that the safety net program that currently serves some 69 million Americans per month

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Social Security COLA could rise to 2.7% in 2026

The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits could rise to 2.7% in 2026, up from this year’s 2.5%, according to estimates from The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). The COLA is based on the average Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) for July, August and September, compared with the same

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Social Security beneficiaries could soon face more hurdles

After a public backlash against the Social Security Administration (SSA) earlier this year, the federal agency said it would walk back some of its plans that would’ve required more beneficiaries to make in-person office visits. But a report released this week by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), a nonpartisan research group, counteracts

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Are seniors getting reduced Social Security or a tax break?

Up to 2 million Americans could see their Social Security payments reduced by 50% in late July as the Social Security Administration (SSA) is cutting payments to recoup the billions of dollars it overpaid to some Americans in recent years. In April, the SSA announced that it would begin recovering about $72 billion in improper

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Social Security sees ‘dramatic’ spike of 276,000 applications

Social Security benefits are often a key for older Americans as they seek to determine how much money they will be able to live on in retirement. But the program has been a source of stress in the federal government for years, exacerbated by the unwillingness of lawmakers to make any major changes to the

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