Experts said the emails likely violate federal law barring use of an official office for election activities.
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The Social Security Administration (SSA) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sent out mass emails praising President Donald Trump to online account holders just days before the midterm elections, potentially violating federal laws prohibiting the use of official government resources for a campaign.
The emails were sent on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with statements from the agencies’ shared director, Frank Bisignano, touting Trump’s supposed achievements during his second term.
“Under President Donald J. Trump, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is transforming into a model of excellence, one that meets and exceeds customer expectations for fast, accurate and secure service,” said one email signed by Bisignano, a Trump nominee. The wording is similar to that of a press release issued by the SSA last month.
Another email seemingly sent to the IRS account holder list touted the 2025 Republican tax cuts, which are estimated to lead to 51,000 early deaths each year while taking money from the poor and handing massive sums to the rich.
“Last year, President Donald J. Trump signed into law the Working Families Tax Cuts, landmark legislation that ushered in a new era of tax relief and prevented the largest tax increase in American history from taking effect,” the email said, per screenshots posted online and news reports. “Hardworking Americans like you are keeping more of what they earn because of President Trump’s historic tax cuts.”
Recipients of the email expressed fury over receiving the emails on social media. It’s unclear how many emails were sent.
Experts said that the emails may be the latest potential violation of the Hatch Act by the Trump administration, which has been desperate to sway elections in Republicans’ favor as pollsters and analysts predict a blue wave. The Hatch Act and other government ethics laws prohibit federal employees from using federal resources to participate in political and election-related activities, partly with the goal of ensuring that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion.
One expert likened the emails to the TV ad praising Trump that ran on networks in September and was paid for with taxpayer money.
Critics have said that this administration is a frequent violator of the Hatch Act. One recent complaint by Democracy Defenders Fund said that the Trump administration likely violated the Hatch Act in its pre-dawn raid of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minnesota) home last month, just weeks before the election in which she was running.
The Trump administration has also repeatedly seemingly misused personal information for political projects.
For now, courts have blocked the Trump administration’s plan for the IRS to transfer massive amounts of taxpayer data to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in order to facilitate mass deportation. And, earlier this year, the Department of Justice admitted that a member of Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” team had signed an agreement to hand over Social Security data to a group that seeks to overturn election results.
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