John,

VICTORY: After public pressure from Social Security Works and our allies around the country, the Trump administration has reversed its decision to force Social Security beneficiaries to file a tax return in order to receive the $1200 that they were entitled to under the CARES Act.

This is very good―the administration’s previous guidance endangered seniors and people with disabilities. It would have forced the people most vulnerable to COVID-19 to choose between violating social distancing to file a tax return, or forgo critical economic aid at the greatest moment of crisis.

The Trump administration should have taken this action from the start, as the text of the CARES Act makes clear. They should now extend the same automatic payment guidance to recipients of veterans’ pensions and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) who also don’t regularly file tax returns. Our government has the tools to send these groups their benefits automatically.

Social Security Works will be watching the Trump administration closely to make sure that it makes these automatic payments quickly. And we will keep fighting back against the Trump administration’s war on seniors.

These are uncertain times for all of us. If you can afford to, can you chip in $7 to protect seniors from the Trump administration during this pandemic?

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Thanks so much.

Michael Phelan
Social Security Works