President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Thursday honoring the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act of 1935. Before doing so, he touted what he sees as the keeping of his promise to preserve and protect the program and to lower taxes for seniors who receive Social Security benefits.

President Trump defends Social Security program achievements amid Democratic criticism, highlighting zero taxes for most seniors and improved customer service

WASHINGTON — President Trump said Thursday that 275,000 illegal immigrants have been purged from the Social Security rolls on his watch. “To protect our benefits, we’ve already kicked nearly 275,000 illegal aliens off of the Social Security system,” Trump said in the Oval Office with Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano looking on.

Social Security recipients’ will likely get more money next year with cost-of-living adjustments, but the increase may not cover the full effects of rising inflation.

The notion of privatizing Social Security surfaced most recently when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this month said new tax-deferred investment accounts dubbed “Trump accounts” may serve as a “backdoor to privatization,” though Treasury has walked back those comments.

Social Security trustees have warned that the program's retirement trust fund could be depleted as soon as 2033.

Roughly 600,000 retirees in Arkansas are set to benefit from a new federal deduction that shields most Social Security income from taxes starting in 2026. The One Big Beautiful Bill

Cutting federal taxes on Social Security benefits gives immediate relief to retirees—but experts warn it could trigger benefit cuts for future generations.