On July 4th, the Social Security Administration sent millions of seniors an official message celebrating legislation that will devastate their lives.¹ The message, sent from a legitimate government email address, applauded the passage of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" and thanked seniors for their patience while assuring them that Social Security had secured their financial future.
There was just one problem: the legislation being celebrated will devastate the very people receiving the message.
The "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," which passed Congress along strict party lines this week, does include a modest tax deduction for some seniors. The same legislation also contains a comprehensive dismantling of the healthcare, nutrition, and social support systems that America's 73 million seniors depend on to survive.²
Here's the reality the Social Security Administration didn't mention:
Only 50% of seniors actually benefit from the tax deduction being celebrated—and only modestly—because the other half don't earn enough to owe significant federal taxes³
100% of Medicare beneficiaries will face automatic payment cuts that could reduce access to care as doctors and hospitals limit Medicare patients⁴
1.3 million Medicare enrollees will lose their Medicaid coverage that helps pay their Medicare premiums and medical costs, forcing them to choose between healthcare and other basic needs⁵
18% of seniors will lose food assistance through massive SNAP program cuts, increasing hunger and malnutrition among older Americans⁶
Nearly half of rural hospitals already operate at a loss and face closure due to Medicaid funding cuts, eliminating healthcare access for entire communities⁷
100% of Social Security beneficiaries will face benefit cuts one year sooner as trust fund insolvency accelerates from 2033 to 2032⁸
Between 85% and 95% of America's seniors will be harmed by this legislation, while fewer than 50% receive any meaningful benefit from the tax provision being celebrated.
Yet seniors were told to celebrate.
The message came from the Social Security Administration now led by Frank Bisignano, a Wall Street executive who describes himself as "fundamentally a DOGE person"—referring to Elon Musk's cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency.⁹ Before his confirmation, whistleblowers alleged that Bisignano had secretly coordinated the placement of DOGE operatives within Social Security, despite his denials under oath to Congress.¹⁰ His reputation in the private sector was built on what colleagues called a "slash and burn" approach to workforce reduction.¹¹
And I Say, Oh HELL, No
Let's be clear about what happened here. They looked at America's most vulnerable population—seniors who built this country, who trusted their government, who depend on the programs they paid into their whole lives—and they decided to lie to them. Not mislead. Not spin. Lie.
They sent official government communications celebrating legislation that will gut the healthcare, food assistance, and financial security of the very people receiving the message. They used the trusted voice of the Social Security Administration to manipulate seniors into supporting their own destruction. They targeted people experiencing cognitive decline, knowing they would be more susceptible to official-looking deception.¹²
This isn't politics. This isn't policy disagreement. This is predatory behavior by our own government.
Think about this: your grandmother gets a message from Social Security telling her to celebrate historic tax relief. She believes it because why wouldn't she? It's from the government agency that sends her monthly benefits. Meanwhile, that same legislation is about to cut her Medicare payments, close the rural hospital where she gets care, reduce her food assistance, and accelerate cuts to her Social Security benefits.
That's not governance. That's fraud. When your own government commits fraud against you, using your tax dollars and official channels to deceive you about policies that harm you, that's not democracy. That's tyranny with a smile and a press release.
They're counting on us being too polite to call this what it is. They're counting on us being distracted by the holiday and still spinning from the bill's passage instead of recognizing the fundamental violation this represents. They're counting on us accepting that this is just how things work now.
And I say, Oh HELL, No.
Here's What They Don't Want Us to Focus On
The Social Security Administration is using its official communication channels to send propaganda disguised as a service announcement.¹³ The message, distributed through the agency's legitimate subscription service, paints the newly passed legislation as a triumph for senior citizens while completely omitting the devastating cuts that affect the vast majority of them. The timing is deliberate—sent on July 4th when Americans are celebrating, the message hijacks a day of national pride to build support for legislation that devastates the very people receiving it.
This is government propaganda, pure and simple. The agency's leadership knows exactly what the legislation contains. They know that roughly half of all seniors won't benefit from the modest tax deduction because their incomes are too low to owe significant federal taxes. They know that between 85% and 95% of seniors will face direct harm through Medicare payment reductions, Medicaid cuts, hospital closures, reduced food assistance, or accelerated Social Security benefit cuts.
The message exploits well-documented vulnerabilities in the senior population. Research shows that adults over 70 experience declining analytical thinking that reduces their ability to detect false information, while mild cognitive decline actually increases susceptibility to scams.¹⁴ The agency leverages its position of trust, using official government communications infrastructure to deliver coordinated disinformation to America's most vulnerable citizens.
What We Deserve
When the Social Security Administration sends us an email, we deserve the truth about what legislation actually does to our benefits. Not celebration of a tax break that helps only half of us while hiding Medicare cuts that hurt all of us. Not propaganda disguised as a service announcement.
When we pay Frank Bisignano's salary to run Social Security,¹⁵ we deserve him to protect our interests, not coordinate with DOGE operatives to gut our programs while sending us messages about "historic tax relief." His job is to serve Social Security beneficiaries, not manipulate them on behalf of politicians.
When Social Security employees take an oath to faithfully discharge their duties, that means honest communication about policies affecting our benefits. It doesn't mean using official government channels to trick 73 million seniors into celebrating legislation that devastates most of them. That's not faithful service—that's fraud.
When Congress passes a 900-page bill affecting every aspect of senior welfare, we deserve to know what's actually in it before being told to celebrate. Not selective celebration of minor benefits while massive cuts are hidden. We deserve the full truth about what our representatives are doing to us in our name.
And What We Got
We got deliberate deception from the agency that's supposed to protect Social Security beneficiaries. Official government communications celebrating legislation that will devastate the very people receiving the message.
We got Frank Bisignano running Social Security—a Wall Street executive who describes himself as "fundamentally a DOGE person" while coordinating the systematic dismantling of programs seniors depend on, all while sending them messages about "historic tax relief."
We got federal employees violating their oath to faithfully serve the public. They're using taxpayer-funded infrastructure to manipulate taxpayers into supporting policies that harm them.
We got propaganda designed for maximum impact—timed for July 4th when Americans are celebrating, using a day of national pride to build support for legislation that attacks the nation's most vulnerable citizens.
We got a government that views 73 million seniors not as citizens to serve, as targets to manipulate. They see cognitive vulnerabilities in older adults and exploit them. They see trust in Social Security and weaponize it for political gain.
This represents a fundamental breach of the social contract between government and citizen. When agencies abandon their duty to inform and instead choose to deceive, democracy itself becomes impossible.
How We Resist: Lessons from History
Historian Timothy Snyder's "On Tyranny" offers twenty lessons from the twentieth century about how ordinary people can resist authoritarian takeover.¹⁶ Several are particularly crucial for this moment:
Note that resistance is always guided by Lesson 20: Be as courageous as you can. We are not all positioned to take each of these actions, but consider what of these you can given your circumstances. Know that for every action of resistance you engage in, you are also representing those who are not able to stand up due to vulnerability, ability, or means.
Lesson 1: Do not obey in advance. The Social Security Administration is counting on us to accept their propaganda as normal institutional communication. When we treat government lies as acceptable, we teach them that lying works.
How to resist: Call your representatives' offices and say you received propaganda from Social Security and it's unacceptable. Contact local news outlets about this story. Post on social media that this isn't normal and you won't accept it.
Lesson 2: Defend institutions. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid aren't just government programs—they're institutions that protect human dignity. Frank Bisignano is corrupting these institutions from within.
How to resist: Join advocacy groups like Social Security Works or AARP that defend these programs. Attend town halls and demand your representatives protect the integrity of Social Security communications. Volunteer with organizations that help seniors understand their real benefits.
Lesson 6: Be wary of paramilitaries. DOGE operatives placed throughout government agencies represent exactly this threat—unofficial actors with official power, accountable to political loyalty rather than constitutional duty.
How to resist: File FOIA requests asking which DOGE personnel have access to Social Security systems. Support whistleblowers who expose this coordination. Contact the Social Security Inspector General to report propaganda misuse of agency resources.
Lesson 8: Stand out. When everyone else is staying quiet about government propaganda, someone has to speak up.
How to resist: Write letters to editors of local newspapers. Speak up at community meetings when people mention the "tax relief." Wear a button or shirt that says "I read the fine print." Be the person willing to say this isn't normal.
Lesson 9: Be kind to our language. This isn't "political messaging"—it's propaganda. It's not "government efficiency"—it's systematic destruction of programs seniors depend on.
How to resist: Use accurate words when talking about this. Correct people who call it "communication" or "outreach." Insist on calling it propaganda. Language shapes how we think about what's acceptable.
Lesson 19: Be a patriot. Real patriots don't let their government lie to vulnerable citizens. Real patriots protect the social contract between government and the people.
How to resist: Frame your opposition as defending American values. This isn't partisan—it's about whether government serves citizens or manipulates them. Use July 4th as a reminder of what government should be, not what it's become.
Most importantly, check in on the vulnerable people in your life, and the vulnerable neighbor who is alone. They need our love, support, and presence more than ever.
Every analysis: research, fact-checking, no hyperbole. Real work with real sources.
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Sources
Social Security Administration official communication sent July 4, 2025. Email from subscription.service@subscriptions.ssa.gov verified as legitimate SSA address per SSA Security and Protection guidelines.
U.S. House of Representatives. H.R. 1, "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." 119th Congress, 2025. Passed House 218-214, July 3, 2025. Passed Senate 51-50, July 1, 2025.
The Washington Post. "GOP tax bill includes a $6,000 'senior deduction.' Here's who gets it." July 2, 2025. Tax Foundation. "How Would the Proposed Additional Senior Deduction Compare to No Tax on Social Security?" July 2025.
Congressional Budget Office. "Pay-As-You-Go Estimate for H.R. 1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act." Response to Rep. Brendan Boyle, May 21, 2025. Medicare cuts estimated at $490 billion over 2027-2034 due to Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act sequestration.
KFF. "Medicaid Changes in House and Senate Reconciliation Bills Would Increase Costs for 1.3 Million Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries." June 2025.
Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - Key Statistics and Research." 2024. Seniors aged 60+ comprise 18% of SNAP participants.
American Hospital Association. "Rural Hospitals at Risk: Cuts to Medicaid Would Further Threaten Access." June 2025. 48% of rural hospitals operated at financial loss in 2023.
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. "GOP tax bill would hasten Social Security, Medicare trust fund insolvency: CRFB." July 2, 2025.
CNBC. "Self-professed 'DOGE person' Frank Bisignano gets his confirmation hearing to lead Social Security." March 25, 2025.
Government Executive. "Senators grill Bisignano about contact with SSA and DOGE officials." March 25, 2025. Whistleblower statement alleging coordination between Bisignano and DOGE operatives.
Government Executive. "Senate confirms Bisignano to lead Social Security." May 7, 2025. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer: "I knew Frank when he was in New York, and he was known then, as he should be known now, as 'Mr. Slash and Burn.'"
University of Florida. "The Conversation: Are older adults more vulnerable to scams?" June 2024. Frontiers in Psychology. "Mild Cognitive Decline Is a Risk Factor for Scam Vulnerability in Older Adults." 2021.
Social Security Administration. "Security and Protection | my Social Security." Official website. Lists subscription.service@subscriptions.ssa.gov as legitimate email address for SSA communications.
University of Florida research published 2024. "Better cognition, social and emotional capacities, and brain health are all associated with less susceptibility to deception."
Federal Pay database. Senior Executive Service salary levels, 2025.
Snyder, Timothy. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. Tim Duggan Books, 2017.