Sponsors
The bill would speed and formalize DHS–SSA data sharing and reporting—helping detect fraud and get SSA records updated faster—but does so while expanding data flows and creating significant privacy risks, administrative costs, and the potential loss or interruption of multiple health and income supports for non-citizens.
Immigrants with Social Security numbers will have SSA and government records updated faster when their citizenship, immigration, or work-authorization status changes, allowing quicker adjustment of benefit eligibility and reducing incorrect payments and overpayments.
Annual reporting and required reviews will increase transparency, help detect Social Security number fraud, and enable agencies to identify barriers and recommend improvements to DHS–SSA notification processes to speed data sharing and service delivery.
Employers and agencies that rely on SSA data will get more accurate information about work-authorization status, improving employment-verification accuracy and reducing errors for employers and employees.
Non-citizens and non-nationals could lose access to major safety-net programs (Social Security retirement, disability, survivors benefits, SSI, Medicare, Medicaid/CHIP, TANF) for months they lack citizenship or nationality, sharply reducing income and health coverage for affected elders, disabled people, and low-income families.
Removing or pausing coverage for non-citizens will increase uncompensated care and social-service needs and shift costs to taxpayers, hospitals, and state governments when people lose Medicaid/CHIP or other supports.
Expanded and faster interagency data sharing increases privacy and civil‑liberties risks: shared records could be used for enforcement or benefits denial, and larger data flows raise the harm from mishandling or breaches.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Bars any person who is not a U.S. citizen or national for a month from receiving Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, SSI, TANF, and other SSA-administered benefits, and requires DHS-to-SSA status-change notifications and annual reports.
Introduced February 24, 2025 by Jefferson Van Drew · Last progress February 24, 2025
Requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to notify the Social Security Administration (SSA) within 180 days whenever a person with a Social Security number has a change in citizenship, immigration status, or work authorization. It also requires an annual DHS–SSA joint report to Congress describing notifications, timeliness, fraud-prevention outcomes, coordination, and improvement recommendations. The bill bars any person who is not a U.S. citizen or national for a given month from receiving a wide set of federal benefits administered by SSA, including Social Security retirement/disability, Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, Supplemental Security Income, TANF, and any other SSA-administered benefits.