Axios: House members try to bypass GOP leaders on Social Security

AXIOS, ANDREW SOLENDER

Proponents of a popular Social Security bill that has fallen through the legislative cracks for years are mounting a last ditch effort to bypass GOP leadership and force a vote on the measure.

Why it matters: Nearly a dozen Republicans have signed on despite House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) frequently opposing such workarounds, called discharge petitions.

• It would be the second successful discharge petition this Congress — a remarkable stat given that the last time members were able to force a vote through this method was in 2015.

Driving the news: Reps. Garret Graves (R-La.) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) on Tuesday introduced their discharge petition, which forces a House vote if 218 members back it.

• The vote would be on the Social Security Fairness Act, a relatively uncontroversial bill to repeal two provisions that reduce Social Security payments for retirees who receive certain government pensions or other benefits from employers that did not withhold Social Security taxes.
• “For more than 40 years, millions of Americans who paid into Social Security during their careers have been stripped of their retirement benefits,” the two lawmakers said in a statement.
• The bill has the second most co-sponsors of any legislation introduced this year, with 326 House members, including more than 100 Republicans, signed on.

What they’re saying: Spanberger told Axios in an interview on Capitol Hill that the bill has repeatedly fallen victim to limited floor time and other leadership priorities — and that its proponents are done waiting around.

• She told Axios: “It’s busy, right? I wanted this bill brought five years ago … but right now is the moment to say, ‘Okay, you all are busy, this hasn’t risen to the top for you all, for whatever reason.'”
• “So, we’re just going to make it rise to the top,” Spanberger added, noting that the end of the session is quickly approaching and that leadership is currently consumed by a fight over government spending.

State of play: The petition had 119 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon, 108 from Democrats and 11 from Republicans.

• That puts it on course to reach necessary 218 signatures.