In theory, Republicans wouldn’t have to lie about their domestic policy megabill, which narrowly passed Congress last week. After all, to hear GOP proponents tell it, the inaptly named One Big Beautiful Bill Act is filled with wonderful provisions that Americans are going to love.

But in practice, it’s not quite working out that way.

Donald Trump, for example, spent months insisting that failing to pass the far-right reconciliation package would result in 68% tax hikes — a figure that was both entirely made up and completely untrue. That, however, was hardly the only bogus claim: The president and his allies have similarly peddled all kinds of related falsehoods about the scope of the tax breaks, the impact on Medicaid beneficiaries, and the projected deficits.

But that’s one claim in particular that the White House and its partners have been especially excited about: the idea that the far-right megabill eliminated taxes on Social Security benefits — a claim Trump and other Republicans have leaned into with unnerving enthusiasm, before and after the legislation cleared Capitol Hill.

The message, however, wasn’t just peddled by politicians. NBC News reported:

The Social Security Administration has sent a misleading email to beneficiaries stating that President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax cuts and spending law eliminates taxes on Social Security benefits for most recipients.

“The bill ensures that nearly 90% of Social Security beneficiaries will no longer pay federal income taxes on their benefits, providing meaningful and immediate relief to seniors who have spent a lifetime contributing to our nation’s economy,” the email claimed, alongside a subject line that read, “Social Security Applauds Passage of Legislation Providing Historic Tax Relief for Seniors.”

The same unsolicited political message added, “The new law includes a provision that eliminates federal income taxes on Social Security benefits for most beneficiaries, providing relief to individuals and couples.”

So, a few things.

First and foremost, the idea that the megabill eliminates federal taxes on Social Security — a claim Trump has made repeatedly of late — is plainly false. In fact, congressional Republicans relied on the budget reconciliation process to advance the package, and it’s procedurally impossible to change Social Security through this complex process.

Rather, as The New York Times reported, “older single filers will get the extra $6,000 deduction ($12,000 for couples), as long as their income falls under a certain ceiling (below $75,000 for single filers or $150,000 for married joint filers). Above those income levels, the deduction begins to decrease, and it goes away once single taxpayers’ income reaches $175,000 ($250,000 for couples).” What’s more, the deduction benefit won’t apply for Social Security recipients younger than 65.

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In other words, yes, many seniors will get a new tax break, but (a) it’s temporary, unlike the tax giveaways to the wealthy; (b) it doesn’t apply to everyone; and (c) to characterize this as eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits is ridiculous.

But there’s also a larger context to this: Americans need to be able to rely on ostensibly apolitical federal agencies for accurate information, free of partisan taint. When the public sees Trump rant online or during a conservative media interview, most probably realize it’s best to approach his nonsense with skepticism.

When people get an unsolicited official statement from the Social Security Administration, however, they should be able to have some confidence that the agency isn’t trying to mislead Americans with deceptive political messaging.

And yet, here we are, watching the SSA join a list of politicized agencies, being used as partisan tools in the White House’s political toolbox, creating a dynamic in which Americans, going forward, won’t know whether they can trust the next message they receive from the government about the Social Security.

The Social Security Administration was already facing dire challenges when the Senate took up Frank Bisignano’s nomination to serve as the commissioner of the agency in May. Democrats warned that he was not to be trusted with such an important job, and nearly two months later, it appears that they were right.