Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act
The Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act is a broad, multi-part measure that would overhaul funding, governance, privacy protections, and service delivery for the Social Security Administration (SSA). The centerpiece is a permanent, formula-based funding stream for SSA’s administrative costs—set at 1.2% of projected benefit payments for Title II (Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance) plus related funding for Titles VIII and XVI—with funding drawn from multiple trust funds and the Treasury. The bill also imposes new privacy and access controls on SSA data, restricts political appointee access to beneficiary data, and creates several new offices and oversight mechanisms intended to improve civil rights compliance, transformation efforts, analytics, and fraud prevention. It tightens rules around who can be transferred within SSA’s workforce (or out of it), strengthens protections around the Death Master File, preserves field offices and live help, and authorizes a suite of new programs and grants aimed at improving beneficiary representation, consumer experience, and disability rights protections. Several sections would reclassify or reimburse administrative costs in a way that would escape standard budget caps and budget resolutions. In short, the bill seeks to permanently fund SSA operations, curb perceived political influence and data misuse, expand civil rights and process analytics, improve customer experience, and increase protections and support for disability beneficiaries and their advocates. Critics might view the funding shifts as budgetary changes that remove oversight constraints, while supporters would argue they bolster SSA stability and service quality.
Key Points
- 1Permanent, formula-based funding for SSA administrative costs
- 2- For each fiscal year starting in 2026, SSA would be appropriated an amount equal to 1.2% of projected benefit payments plus anticipated payments under Titles VIII and XVI, with funding sourced from multiple trust funds and the general fund as described. This includes specific allocations from the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, the Disability Insurance Trust Fund, and the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund/Medicare funds as applicable.
- 3- The funding would be exempt from standard discretionary budget caps and related budget processes.
- 4Exemption from Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and executive orders; data privacy emphasis
- 5- SSA and its data, systems, and benefits would be exempt from DOGE jurisdiction and certain related executive orders, potentially altering administrative oversight and governance.
- 6- Establishes new restrictions on access to beneficiary data by political appointees and special government employees, with civil and criminal penalties for improper disclosures or access and a framework for Inspector General investigations and Congress reports.
- 7Strengthened field offices and customer service guarantees
- 8- The SSA would be required to maintain the number of field and hearing offices as of 1/1/2025, not close offices except in emergencies, and ensure live operator assistance is available.
- 9- Mandates improved telephone wait times, callback times, and overall service performance within 12 months of enactment, with allowances for new or expanded offices and services, online benefits applications, and prohibitions on reductions in staff below 2024 levels.
- 10New offices and governance bodies within SSA
- 11- Adds three new offices: Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity, Office of Transformation, and Office of Analytics, Review, and Oversight, each led by Deputy Commissioners and tasked with civil rights enforcement, transformation initiatives, and program quality review, respectively.
- 12Overpayments, legal rights, and advocacy
- 13- Codifies a revised overpayment recovery framework and targets, including a minimum impact on monthly benefits (greater of 10% or $10) with certain fraud exceptions.
- 14- Creates state-level protections and advocacy payments (SEC. 1150D) to support legal rights for SSI and SSDI applicants and beneficiaries, including funding for protection and advocacy systems and associated reporting and accessibility requirements.
- 15- Establishes Social Security Assistance and Representation Grants to fund community-based organizations that help people with disabilities navigate applications, appeals, and related processes.
- 16Additional funding for customer experience and program integrity
- 17- Sec. 9 provides a $2 billion, multi-year appropriation (fiscal 2026-2035) to bolster awareness of SSI eligibility for families with disabled children, reduce disability workload backlogs, upgrade SSA IT, and expand online service capabilities.
- 18- Sec. 8 broadens and codifies SSA’s administrative funding and budget treatment, including the removal of administrative costs from several budgetary ceilings and budget processes.
- 19Disability rights and beneficiary protection enhancements
- 20- Reinstates and reorganizes civil rights compliance, accessibility, and complaint processing; increases emphasis on equal opportunity programs; and supports fraud detection and prevention through analytics and oversight.