White House Deletes Tweet Giving Biden Credit for Something Nixon Did After Twitter Adds ‘Important Context’
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Twitter added a fact check of sorts to a Tuesday tweet from the White House that was quickly deleted, the platform providing context to the claim that seniors are seeing a bump in their Social Security checks thanks to President Joe Biden’s leadership.
“Seniors are getting the biggest increase in their Social Security checks in 10 years through President Biden’s leadership,” the White House account originally tweeted.
A note was soon attached to the tweet providing “context” Twitter users “thought people might want to know.”
“Seniors will receive a large Social Security benefit increase due to the annual cost of living adjustment, which is based on the inflation rate. President Nixon in 1972 signed into law automatic benefit adjustments tied to the Consumer Price Index,” the note reads.
Screenshot via Twitter
The tweet was deleted by the White House not long after being published and given context.
The Social Security Administration website notes that payments have been adjusted for inflation for decades now.
From the website:
Prior to 1975, Social Security (OASDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit increases were determined only by periodic legislative action. Since 1975, these benefits have been automatically adjusted for inflation.
According to the Social Security Administration website, there will be a cost-of-living adjustment in 2023 for millions of Americans due to the continuing problem of high inflation.
“The 8.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 65 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2023,” the website notes.
The increase, announced earlier this month, is the highest in Social Security payments in approximately four decades and will represent about a $145 monthly increase for millions of seniors.
The “context” note thrown on the White House’s tweet comes in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover of the company and growing fears among his critics about changes to come to the platform — including possible payments for to maintain a blue check verification status — and the potential of rolling back content moderation in tweets.
