Social Security and IRS emails praise Trump days before the midterms; law professors and Rep. Mike Levin raise Hatch Act concerns
Days before the Nov. 3 midterms, the Social Security Administration and the IRS emailed Americans messages from Frank Bisignano crediting President Trump. Legal experts and Rep. Mike Levin say the emails raise Hatch Act questions.
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
Bisignano is both Social Security commissioner and chief executive of the IRS. The IRS email carried a disclaimer that the agency does not generally send emails to taxpayers and that the message was for informational purposes. The Social Security Administration has more than 100 million people with online accounts and has not said how many received the latest message. Democratic senators objected to an earlier SSA email about Trump's tax law, which they said referred to Trump six times, calling it a partisan, politicized message. The Hatch Act bars covered federal employees from using their official authority or influence to interfere with or affect the result of an election; violations can lead to discipline ranging from a reprimand to removal.
People in this case
Mike LevinDirectly involved
Richard PainterCommented
Timeline
3 timeline entries on this page. Dates: October 30, 2026 to November 6, 2026
October 2026
The Social Security Administration and the IRS send mass emails under Bisignano's name crediting Trump
Incident
People with online Social Security accounts receive an email on October 30 and 31 from Commissioner Frank Bisignano saying that under President Trump the agency is transforming into a model of excellence. A separate IRS email under his name credits Trump's Working Families Tax Cuts.
[01]Newsweek
Report on the October 30 and 31 Social Security email and a separate IRS email sent under Frank Bisignano's name, quoting both emails and comments that law professors Kathleen Clark and Richard Painter gave The New York Times, and noting that Newsweek asked the SSA for comment.
Newsweek: Social Security email praising Trump days before midterm under scrutiny · NewsweekFull article[02]IBTimes UK: Social Security and IRS send pro-Trump emails days before midterms, raising legal concerns
Report on the SSA and IRS emails praising President Trump before the November 3 vote, quoting both emails, the IRS email's disclaimer and law professor Kathleen Clark, and noting that no finding of a Hatch Act violation had been made.
November 2026
Newsweek and IBTimes report legal experts' Hatch Act questions about the emails
Source release
Newsweek reports that legal experts question whether the emails crossed federal limits on political activity by government employees, citing comments by law professors Kathleen Clark and Richard Painter to The New York Times. It says it asked the Social Security Administration for comment.
[01]Newsweek
Report on the October 30 and 31 Social Security email and a separate IRS email sent under Frank Bisignano's name, quoting both emails and comments that law professors Kathleen Clark and Richard Painter gave The New York Times, and noting that Newsweek asked the SSA for comment.
Newsweek: Social Security email praising Trump days before midterm under scrutiny · NewsweekFull article[02]IBTimes UK: Social Security and IRS send pro-Trump emails days before midterms, raising legal concerns
Report on the SSA and IRS emails praising President Trump before the November 3 vote, quoting both emails, the IRS email's disclaimer and law professor Kathleen Clark, and noting that no finding of a Hatch Act violation had been made.
Rep. Mike Levin says the emails raise Hatch Act questions and asks who authorized them
Reaction
In a Bluesky thread, Levin says two agencies that are supposed to be nonpartisan sent emails promoting Trump's agenda before the election and that the public deserves answers about who authorized them.
[03]Rep. Mike Levin's November 6, 2026 Bluesky thread on the IRS and Social Security emails praising Trump
Five-post thread from Levin's official Bluesky account linking a Washington Post report on the IRS email and asking whether the emails violated the Hatch Act.
Rep. Mike Levin's November 6, 2026 Bluesky thread on the IRS and Social Security emails praising TrumpThread of five posts beginning with this post
Claims
Claims separate what was said from what is contested. Follow each source for the original wording and context.
What's disputed
Disputed claim
The Social Security Administration and IRS emails praising President Trump days before the November 3 midterms may have violated the Hatch Act.
What is disputed
The Hatch Act bars covered federal employees from using their official authority or influence to interfere with or affect an election. No court, agency or the Office of Special Counsel has ruled on the emails. Newsweek reported that it asked the Social Security Administration for comment; we did not find a public response from either agency as of November 10, 2026.
Sources (3)
- Rep. Mike Levin's November 6, 2026 Bluesky thread on the IRS and Social Security emails praising TrumpThread of five posts beginning with this post
- Newsweek: Social Security email praising Trump days before midterm under scrutiny · NewsweekFull article
Response record
Responses
Choose one response filter, or select All responses to see the full record.
2 responses. Newest first.
Mike LevinU.S. Representative from California, in a thread on his official Bluesky accountDirectly involvedBefore this statement
Levin opens the thread by asking whether the administration has ever read the Hatch Act and linking a Washington Post report that the IRS and the Social Security Administration sent mass emails praising Trump days before Election Day.
"Two taxpayer-funded federal agencies, which are supposed to be nonpartisan, decided that the days leading up to an election were the perfect time to send Americans emails promoting Donald Trump's political agenda."
CondemnedResponding to: The Social Security Administration and IRS emails praising President Trump days before the November 3 midterms may have violated the Hatch Act.
Full statement and sources
Rep. Mike Levin says the IRS and the Social Security Administration, which are supposed to be nonpartisan, sent Americans emails promoting Trump's political agenda in the days before the election, and that the emails raise serious questions about whether the Hatch Act was violated.
After the statement
He adds that the IRS has delayed releasing tax data showing who benefited from the tax cuts, says the emails raise serious questions about whether the Hatch Act was violated, and says the public deserves answers about who authorized them.
Rep. Mike Levin's November 6, 2026 Bluesky thread on the IRS and Social Security emails praising TrumpThread of five posts beginning with this postWhy this label?
The reference point is the mass emails the Social Security Administration and the IRS sent under Frank Bisignano's name days before the November 3, 2026 midterms, crediting President Trump with the agencies' performance and the tax cuts. Levin says the agencies used official emails to promote Trump's agenda before the vote and asks whether federal resources were misused for political purposes, which condemns the emails.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Richard PainterUniversity of Minnesota law professor and former chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, in comments to The New York Times reported by NewsweekBefore this statement
Newsweek reports that legal experts are questioning whether the messages crossed federal restrictions on political activity by government employees, and that law professor Kathleen Clark told The New York Times the emails appeared to function as propaganda rather than public service announcements. It says Painter was more explicit about the timing.
"They're doing it just before the election to persuade people that President Trump is doing a good job"
CondemnedResponding to: The Social Security Administration and IRS emails praising President Trump days before the November 3 midterms may have violated the Hatch Act.
Full statement and sources
Richard Painter, a former chief White House ethics lawyer, tells The New York Times that the Social Security and IRS emails were sent just before the election to persuade people that Trump is doing a good job, and that he regards them as inappropriate.
After the statement
Newsweek reports that Painter told the Times he regarded the messages as inappropriate, and that there has been no official ruling that Bisignano or the agency violated the law.
Newsweek: Social Security email praising Trump days before midterm under scrutiny · NewsweekFull articleWhy this label?
The reference point is the mass emails the Social Security Administration and the IRS sent under Frank Bisignano's name days before the November 3, 2026 midterms, crediting President Trump with the agencies' performance and the tax cuts. Painter says the emails were timed to persuade voters and calls them inappropriate, which condemns them.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Sources
(3)
Reporting
Newsweek: Social Security email praising Trump days before midterm under scrutiny
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
Report on the October 30 and 31 Social Security email and a separate IRS email sent under Frank Bisignano's name, quoting both emails and comments that law professors Kathleen Clark and Richard Painter gave The New York Times, and noting that Newsweek asked the SSA for comment.
- Author
- Suzanne Blake
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Rep. Mike Levin's November 6, 2026 Bluesky thread on the IRS and Social Security emails praising Trump
Relevant passage: Thread of five posts beginning with this post
About this source
Five-post thread from Levin's official Bluesky account linking a Washington Post report on the IRS email and asking whether the emails violated the Hatch Act.
- Author
- Rep. Mike Levin (@levin.house.gov)
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
IBTimes UK: Social Security and IRS send pro-Trump emails days before midterms, raising legal concerns
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
Report on the SSA and IRS emails praising President Trump before the November 3 vote, quoting both emails, the IRS email's disclaimer and law professor Kathleen Clark, and noting that no finding of a Hatch Act violation had been made.
- Author
- Ma. Kyla Morco
- Published
- Accessed
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Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Social Security and IRS emails praise Trump days before the midterms; law professors and Rep. Mike Levin raise Hatch Act concerns
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/cases/ssa-irs-emails-praising-trump-before-midterms-hatch-act
The Dispute Index. "Social Security and IRS emails praise Trump days before the midterms; law professors and Rep. Mike Levin raise Hatch Act concerns". First published: 2026-11-10. Last updated: 2026-11-10. https://disputeindex.com/cases/ssa-irs-emails-praising-trump-before-midterms-hatch-act