Republicans and Democrats don’t agree on much these days, and Democrats have not been happy about many of the policy changes that President Donald Trump has made since taking office a second time.
That’s especially true as the president has radically shifted many parts of the government, frustrating those on the left.
That’s why it may seem surprising that a Democrat is now embracing one of the president’s signature campaign promises. In fact, a prominent senator on the left introduced a new bill this week that would deliver on a key issue the Trump campaign pushed.
The proposal has support from a major senior advocacy group. However, it’s unclear whether it will get enough votes in Congress. There’s strong reason to suspect it won’t, even though the bill accomplishes something the president said was a priority.
Image source: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
This Democrat’s proposal would fulfill a key campaign promise made by President Trump
The new proposal comes from Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona. It’s entitled the “You Earn It, You Keep it Act,” and it would permanently eliminate all taxes on Social Security benefits.
Another Democrat, Representative Angie Craig from Minnesota, also introduced a House version of the bill back in April. Here’s what Senator Gallego said in a statement announcing the bill:
“Like a lot of Americans, I’ve been paying into Social Security since my first job at 14. But despite decades of paying into the system, seniors are still forced to pay taxes on their hard-earned benefits – all while the ultra-wealthy barely pay into the system at all. Trump claimed he ended taxes on Social Security. My bill actually does it. Permanently.”
The Senior Citizens League, a nonpartisan senior advocacy group, has expressed support for the Act.
Related: Social Security makes a big change to eligibility rules
Here’s what the “You Earn It, You Keep it Act” would do
The “You Earn It, You Keep it Act” would make major policy changes to Social Security. It would:
- Eliminate federal taxes on Social Security
- Expand the Social Security payroll tax to cover earnings above $250,000 per year
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How the “You Earn It, You Keep it Act” would change current Social Security rules:
- Under the current system, Social Security benefits become partly taxable once provisional income hits $25,000 for single filers and $32,000 for married joint filers. Provisional income is half of all Social Security benefits combined with all taxable income and some non-taxable income including interest from MUNI bonds.
- Under the current system, workers pay Social Security taxes on income only up to the wage base limit, which is $176,100 in 2025. Above this threshold, income is not subject to Social Security tax and is also not factored in when retiree benefits are calculated to determine how much a senior receives each month.
The president promised to eliminate taxes on Social Security, but didn’t deliver
President Trump promised repeatedly on the campaign trail that he would eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits. He also made this promise numerous times on the campaign trail and in online posts.
And, the president did declare victory on this issue with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, stating:
“President Donald J. Trump repeatedly promised to preserve and protect Social Security for every eligible American — and he has unquestionably delivered….That includes President Trump making good on his ‘No Tax on Social Security’ campaign promise. Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill — now the law of the land — the vast majority of seniors receiving Social Security will no longer pay taxes on that income.”
However, while the One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduced a new deduction for seniors of up to $6,000, the deduction isn’t available to everyone, is temporary, and didn’t ultimately change the Social Security tax rules.
If passed, the “You Earn It, You Keep It Act” would change those rules.
However, the other change included in the bill — increased taxes on higher earners — is likely to make the Act dead on arrival among Republicans.
Related: Social Security’s 2026 COLA will be good news for older Americans
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