(The Center Square) — Congress concluded a decades-long effort when it passed the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act, a bill rolling back two provisions that cosponsor Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., said shortchanged government workers.
Congress added the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset to the Social Security Act in 1983. The WEP reduces the Social Security benefits pensioned government employees can receive from private sector work, and the GPO reduces the Social Security benefits their spouses could collect in the case of their death.
Lawmakers have been trying to pass versions of the Social Security Fairness Act for years, reforming or repealing these provisions.
Spanberger, who was running for governor of Virginia and was the bill’s first cosponsor, celebrated the bill’s passage, saying it would help “more than 50,000 Virginians and more than 2.4 million Americans across the United States.” Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., patroned the bill.
“Finally, Congress showed up for the millions of Americans — police officers, firefighters, teachers, federal employees, and other local and state public servants — who worked a second job to care for their families or began a second career to afford to live. Congress showed up for the hundreds of thousands of widows and widowers who are denied their spouses’ Social Security benefits while grappling with their loss,” said Spanberger and Graves.
The National Fraternal Order of Police, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Education Association, and several other unions and professional organizations swiftly applauded the legislation’s advancement from the Senate.
“Today’s vote is the result of a lot of hard work by a lot of folks who have been committed to Social Security fairness for years, and we would not have gotten this through Congress without this truly bipartisan effort,” said Patrick Yoes, national president of the National Fraternal Order of Police.
The legislation was carried by broad bipartisan support. Introduced almost one year ago, it gained 330 cosponsors (210 Democrats, 120 Republicans) in the House of Representatives and progressed to the Senate with almost as many yes votes.
“This historic victory will improve the lives of educators, first responders, postal workers and others who dedicated their lives to public service in their communities. NEA members fought endlessly for the repeal of these discriminative and punitive laws,” said NEA President Rebecca Pringle.
Almost 80% of the Senate voted for the bill.
But, some don’t see the bill’s passage as a victory. Republican Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., former chair of the House Freedom Caucus, sees Saturday night’s vote as a regression.
“The ‘SS Fairness Act’ is not fair, as it unfairly rewards individuals who did not pay into SS during the yrs in which they were qualifying for a taxpayer-funded govt pension. It will cost $200B over 10 yrs, and accelerate the insolvency of SS for everyone. We don’t have the $$!” wrote Good on X, formerly Twitter.
The legislation is headed to the president’s desk.
