Bill · S. 5456· Senate(119-S-5456)
Stop Social Security Garnishment Act of 2026
A bill to prohibit the Secretary of Education from garnishing social security payments from individuals in default on their Federal student loans.
- Introduced
- 9/22/2026
- Last activity
- 9/22/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Sponsored by
- Bernie Sanders
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 9
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is called the Stop Social Security Garnishment Act of 2026. It was introduced in the Senate by Mr. Sanders and a group of other senators. The main goal of the bill is to stop the Secretary of Education from taking money from people's social security payments. This applies when individuals are in default on their federal student loans. If passed, it creates a prohibition on using social security offsets for these defaulted loans.
Yes· 3 of 7
Would people over 65 be better off under this?+8
Seniors relying on Social Security are directly protected from having their payments garnished for student loan debt.
Would retired people be better off under this?+8
Retirees are safeguarded from losing a portion of their Social Security benefits due to federal student loan defaults.
Does this strengthen Social Security?+7
The bill prohibits the garnishment of Social Security payments for defaulted federal student loans, protecting retirees' benefits.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Protection of Social Security Payments: Under Section 2, which adds section 493E to the Higher Education Act of 1965, the bill stops the Secretary of Education from garnishing social security payments from individuals who are in default on their federal student loans. This is positive because it ensures that people relying on social security will not have those specific funds taken away to pay off defaulted student loans.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No Negative Impacts Identified: Based strictly on the provided text, there are no specific sections or provisions that outline negative consequences or burdens for individuals or groups of people in the United States.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Retirees+8Good For Seniors+8Good For Low Income Households+6Good For Students+4
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Social Security+7Improves Poverty Reduction+5
- Education And Technology
- Improves Student Loan Relief+6
- 9/22/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- 9 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
Richard BlumenthalDemocrat · Connecticut
Kirsten GillibrandDemocrat · New York
Mazie HironoDemocrat · Hawaii
Edward MarkeyDemocrat · Massachusetts
Jeff MerkleyDemocrat · Oregon
Alex PadillaDemocrat · California
John ReedDemocrat · Rhode Island
Ron WydenDemocrat · Oregon
Elizabeth WarrenDemocrat · Massachusetts