Government Executive: House lawmakers plan to force a vote on bill to kill provision that cuts some feds’ retirement pay

Aug 26, 2024
In the News
Social Security, Medicare, & Retirement

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE, ERICH WAGNER

bipartisan pair of lawmakers announced Monday that they would act to force a vote on the House floor on a measure that would repeal a pair of controversial tax rules that negatively impact some federal employees’ retirement income.

The Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), introduced last year by Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Garrett Graves, R-La., would repeal Social Security’s windfall elimination provision and government pension offset.

The windfall elimination provision reduces Social Security benefits for retired federal, state and local government workers who worked in both the private sector and at a government job where Social Security is not intended as an element of their retirement income, like the Civil Service Retirement System. The government pension offset reduces spousal and survivor Social Security benefits by two-thirds if the beneficiary is also a government employee.

Story Continues Below Sponsor Message

https://1e5dc801a72c8f6eee30f62da7f53fd9.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

According to the lawmakers, the windfall elimination provision affects the Social Security benefits of roughly 2 million former government workers, while the GPO impacts nearly 800,000 retirees.

But despite widespread dissatisfaction with the two provisions among government workers who have spent part of their career in the private sector and growing bipartisan support for axing them, the measure has never made it to the House floor for a vote. As of Monday, the bill had 325 cosponsors in the House.

Get the latest pay and benefits news delivered to your inbox.email

View Privacy Policy 

In a statement Monday, Spanberger and Graves announced that when Congress returns from the August recess next month, they will file a discharge petition in an effort to force a floor vote on the bill. In order to be successful, a discharge petition requires the signatures of at least 218 lawmakers.

“For more than 40 years, millions of Americans—police officers, teachers, firefighters and other local and state public servants—have been stripped of their Social Security benefits as an unjust penalty for devoting much of their careers to serving their communities and fellow Americans,” the pair said. “These Virginians, Louisianans and American across our country deserve their full retirement benefits—just like every other American who has paid into Social Security. For years, we have worked together to build bipartisan support for this effort and urge House leadership to take real action to right this wrong. As these efforts have stalled, we are using every tool at our disposal to finally get this done.”

Spanberger’s and Graves’ bill is not the only piece of legislation aimed at reforming how ex-government workers who spent some time in the private sector receive Social Security benefits. The Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act (H.R. 5342), introduced by Reps. Jody Arrington, R-Texas, and Vincente Gonzalez, D-Texas, would replace the windfall elimination provision with a new formula for calculating the Social Security benefits of those who split their career between the private and public sectors. The measure has 34 other cosponsors, all Republicans.

Recent Posts


Oct 3, 2024
Veterans' Issues

President Signs Into Law Spanberger-Backed Bill to Cut Red Tape for Veterans Joining the Trucking Workforce

The “Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act” Would Cut Red Tape for CDL Schools & the Veterans They Serve WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Biden this week signed into law bipartisan legislation U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger helped lead to cut red tape for Veterans looking to use their GI benefits to pay for commercial driver’s license […]



Oct 2, 2024
Press

Spanberger Grateful for FEMA Disaster Assistance for Virginia to Recover from Hurricane Helene, Urges Congress to Pass Emergency Appropriations Package to “Meet Any Unmet Needs”

Congresswoman: “Virginia’s Families And Businesses Will Need Additional Support As The Full Extent Of The Devastation Becomes Clear” WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today released the following statement after President Biden granted additional federal disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Congresswoman also urged congressional […]



Oct 1, 2024
Press

Spanberger, Wittman Lead Bipartisan Effort to Increase Military Leave for Federal Employees Serving in the National Guard, Reserves

The “Supporting Federal Employees in the National Guard & Reserves Act” is Endorsed by the National Fraternal Order of Police, International Association of Fire Fighters, American Federation of Government Employees, & Reserve Organization of America WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) and Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) today introduced bipartisan legislation to increase military leave […]