“Biden signs an executive order to terminate Social Security, SSI, bans side hustle.”
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President Joe Biden meets with congressional leaders in the Oval Office of the White House on May 12, 2021, in Washington. (AP)
No, Biden has not signed order to end Social Security and government disability payments
If Your Time is short
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President Biden has not signed any order to end Social Security or government disability payments.
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He has also not banned moonlighting.
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No spin, just facts you can trust. Here's how we do it.
Did President Joe Biden sign a sweeping new executive order to fundamentally change retirement benefits and government disability payments?
A March 23 Facebook post sharing a TikTok video claims that is so. "President Biden signs an executive order to terminate Social Security, SSI, bans side hustle," text on the video said. "This bill will take action in June 12, 2024."
It includes footage of Biden speaking, with a chyron that says, "Breaking news: Biden: Senate GOP planning to block vote with filibuster."
The video was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
You probably have not heard about this executive order. That’s because it did not happen.
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SSI stands for Supplemental Security Income, a benefit program distinct from Social Security that helps low-income people who are disabled, including children.
The footage of Biden in the claim is from an Oct. 6, 2021, speech in which he urged congressional bipartisan collaboration to raise the debt ceiling. Biden gave the speech at the beginning of a White House meeting with members of his Cabinet and business leaders, some of whom attended virtually.
We reviewed the speech and a transcript of it. Biden mentioned Social Security during his remarks, but was warning that congressional inaction could mean delays for beneficiaries.
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"Every Social Security beneficiary, every family receiving a child tax credit, every military family waiting for a paycheck, or small-business owners receiving a federal loan: They’re all at risk," he said.
Congress passed a short-term bill to raise the debt ceiling until mid-December 2021, and Biden signed that bill on Oct. 14, 2021.
As of March 20, Biden has signed 136 executive orders, according to a tally by The American Presidency Project, a University of California, Santa Barbara, project that aggregates presidential documents online. But ending Social Security, disability payments and moonlighting was not among them.
We rate the claim Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
Facebook post, Mar. 23, 2024
The White House, Remarks by President Biden on the Need to Raise the Debt Ceiling, Oct. 6, 2021
The White House, President Biden Hosts a Meeting with Business Leaders and CEOs on Addressing the Debt Limit, Oct. 6, 2021
Reuters, U.S. House votes for short-term debt ceiling fix, averting default, Oct. 13, 2021
Reuters, Biden signs bill raising U.S. debt limit, averting default, Oct. 14, 2021
The American Presidency Project, Executive Orders, accessed Mar. 25, 2024
Social Security Administration, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Overview, accessed Mar. 25, 2024
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No, Biden has not signed order to end Social Security and government disability payments
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