WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: National Groups Applaud U.S. Senate Passage of Spanberger’s Social Security Fairness Act to Eliminate the WEP & GPO, Provide Long Overdue Fairness to Police Officers, Firefighters, & Government Employees
The Congresswoman’s Bipartisan “Social Security Fairness Act” Would Eliminate Two Provisions of the “Social Security Act” That Unfairly Reduce Earned Retirement Benefits for Nearly 2.5 Million Americans — Including More Than 50,000 Virginians
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following the U.S. Senate’s late night passage of U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger’s bipartisan bill to eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), several organizations representing the interests of America’s public servants celebrated this final step to send this legislation to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
The bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act is led in the U.S. House by Spanberger and U.S. Representative Garret Graves (R-LA-06), and in the U.S. Senate by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Susan Collins (R-ME). Once signed into law by President Biden, this legislation will eliminate both the WEP and the GPO, two provisions of Social Security that unfairly reduce or eliminate earned retirement benefits for more than 50,000 Virginians — and more than 2.4 million Americans across the United States. Impacted retirees devoted much of their careers to public service — including police officers, firefighters, educators, and federal, state, and local government employees.
Following U.S. Senate passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, the National Fraternal Order of Police, International Association of Fire Fighters, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, National Education Association, and Peace Officers Research Association of California applauded this legislation being sent to the president’s desk to correct this basic issue of fairness.
“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, National Fraternal Order of Police. “The FOP and its members are eternally grateful to Representatives Graves and Spanberger who led us through the House with such success and to Senators Brown, Collins, and Schumer who delivered on their promise to hold this historic vote today.”
“The Social Security Fairness Act gives retired fire fighters and millions of other dedicated public servants the benefits they earned and paid into,” said Edward A. Kelly, General President, International Association of Fire Fighters. “The IAFF applauds Congress for ending this theft, and we thank Representatives Abigail Spanberger and Garret Graves and Senators Sherrod Brown and Susan Collins for championing this bipartisan legislation.”
“Since these two unfair penalties were enacted, NARFE has opposed the WEP and GPO as unfairly punishing hardworking public servants through reduced Social Security benefits. We would not have reached this point without the dedication and persistence of grassroots advocates who made the case time and again to repeal these unfair penalties. Now millions will gain relief from these provisions and enjoy a more secure retirement,” said William “Bill” Shackelford, National President, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. “Thank you to our support in the House for getting us here this year, especially to Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-VA, who built and sustained support in the House and led the way on the discharge petition to force a vote. We would not have achieved this victory without her leadership.”
“With passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, Americans will no longer see the Social security benefits they worked for and earned taken away by the WEP and GPO,” said Everett Kelley, National President, American Federation of Government Employees. “We applaud the strong bipartisan majorities in both the House and Senate that supported this long overdue fix and urge President Biden to quickly sign the bill into law. ”
“This historic victory for public service workers is a product of nonstop advocacy and perseverance. For years, AFSCME members have sounded the alarm on GPO-WEP, which denied some public service workers their Social Security benefits simply for pursuing careers that help others,” said Lee Saunders, President, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees. “Thanks to Senator Sherrod Brown, who has championed GPO-WEP repeal for over a decade, and the support of a broad coalition of union members who have tirelessly organized, over two million public service workers will finally be able to access the Social Security benefits they spent their careers paying into. Many will finally be able to enjoy retirement after a lifetime of service. We applaud the Senate for passing this legislation and call on President Biden to sign the bill as soon as possible.”
“On behalf of the NRLCA, I applaud the Senate for passing H.R. 82 to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). Both WEP and GPO unfairly reduce Social Security benefits earned by rural letter carriers, as well as other federal and postal employees by reducing their hard earned retirement benefits. Retirees should not be penalized for choosing a career in public service,” said Don Maston, President, National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association. “With the passage of H.R. 82, retirees who are impacted by these two unfair provisions will receive the retirement benefits they have earned. I want to thank Rep. Graves and Rep. Spanberger for their leadership in the House, and Senator Brown, Senator Collins, and Majority Leader Schumer for their leadership in the Senate.
“This historic victory will improve the lives of educators, first responders, postal workers and others who dedicate their lives to public service in their communities. NEA members fought endlessly for the repeal of these discriminative and punitive laws that have hurt educators and their families—and damaged the education profession, making it harder to attract and retain educators,” said Rebecca Pringle, President, National Education Association. “Public service workers have been waiting 40 years for this wrong to be righted, and we are grateful that members of Congress, in both the House and now the Senate, put aside partisan politics to come together and pass the Social Security Fairness Act.”
“Everyone knows a teacher, firefighter, law enforcement officer, nurse or public worker who’s paid into Social Security year after year, only to have their payments curbed by the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset when they retire. Now, with Congress’ passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, we are one step away from these penalties being consigned to the dustbin of history, where they belong,” said Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers. “Ensuring a fair and secure retirement is how we respect the workers who uplift our communities. And it’s how we recruit and retain the next generation to help our country thrive. We are so grateful to Rep. Spanberger for her leadership and steadfast commitment to restoring fairness for our retirees.”
“After decades of advocacy, we are incredibly proud to see this bill finally advance to the President’s desk – repealing GPO/WEP is going to change the lives of peace officers and public servants across the country,” said Brian R. Marvel, President, Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC). “This was no easy feat. On behalf of the rank-and-file officers here in California and across the nation who risk their lives every day to protect and serve, I would like to extend our gratitude to the bill authors, co-sponsors, the broad coalition of advocacy partners, and every elected official who voted in favor of the bill for helping to get this done. Together, we have restored fairness and dignity in retirement for public employees who have paid into social security throughout their careers.”
BACKGROUND
Spanberger has worked tirelessly to move her legislation through Congress. Last month — after Spanberger and U.S. Representative Garret Graves (R-LA-06) secured the required 218 signatures on their discharge petition to force a vote on their Social Security Fairness Act, a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the legislation and send it to the U.S. Senate.
Spanberger and Graves reintroduced the Social Security Fairness Act in January 2023 at the start of the 118th Congress. In November 2023, Spanberger and Graves urged the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee to hold a hearing on reforms to the WEP and GPO — and a hearing was held later that month. In March 2024, the lawmakers urged the Committee to take the next step to eliminate the WEP and GPO by holding a markup on their bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act. Spanberger and Graves have consistently pushed for a vote on the bill.
Currently, the WEP reduces the earned Social Security benefits of an individual who also receives a public pension from a job not covered by Social Security. For example, educators who do not earn Social Security in public schools but who work part-time or during the summer in jobs covered by Social Security have reduced benefits, even though they pay into the system for enough quarters to receive benefits. Likewise, the GPO affects the spousal benefits of people who work as federal, state, or local government employees — including police officers, firefighters, and educators — if the job is not covered by Social Security. The GPO reduces by two-thirds the benefit received by surviving spouses who also collect a government pension — often offsetting benefits entirely.
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