President Donald Trump marked the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act on Thursday with a proclamation touting new tax relief for retirees. The White House said provisions in the recently enacted Republican spending package, nicknamed the One Big Beautiful Bill, will allow the vast majority of seniors to pay no federal income tax on their Social Security benefits—described by officials as the largest tax break for seniors in U.S. history. Administration officials also pointed to operational gains at the Social Security Administration, reporting that average telephone wait times have dropped to six minutes from about 30 minutes a year ago after upgrades to phone systems and online services. The agency says it has issued more than 3.1 million benefit payments—worth $17 billion—five months ahead of schedule under a separate fairness measure. Democratic lawmakers counter that staffing cuts and field-office closures under Trump are eroding service quality and laying groundwork for future privatization. Senator Bernie Sanders and allies introduced legislation that would boost benefits by $2,400 a year, block further office reductions and add $5 billion in agency funding. Non-partisan analysts warn that the celebrations come amid mounting fiscal pressure. Social Security’s combined trust funds are now projected to be depleted by 2034, after which incoming payroll taxes would cover only about 81 percent of promised payments—an effective 24 percent across-the-board cut unless Congress raises taxes, trims benefits or adopts other reforms. The program currently pays monthly benefits to roughly 69 million Americans.