A Bipartisan Victory for Public Sector Workers & Their Families

The U.S. House voted Tuesday night to repeal two highly unpopular provisions of Social Security law - the WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) and GPO (Government Pension Offset). These provisions, enacted more than 40 years ago, prevent millions of public sector employees and their families from collecting Social Security benefits. The Social Security Fairness Act, introduced by Rep. Garrett Graves (R-LA) and Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), would revoke WEP and GPO if passed by the Senate and signed by the president.

NCPSSM has long supported repeal of these provisions and lauded the 327 to 75 House vote. Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, said in a statement:

"Tuesday night's House vote was a bipartisan victory for public sector employees and their families, who, like all Americans, deserve to collect the benefits they have earned. We urge the U.S. Senate to join the House in approving this bill". - NCPSSM president and CEO Max Richtman, 11/12/24

Reps. Spanberger and Graves referred to the WEP and GPO provisions as "theft" of public employees' benefits:

"By passing the Social Security Fairness Act, a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives showed up for the millions of Americans - police officers, teachers, firefighters, and other local and state public servants - who worked a second job to make ends meet or began a second career to support their families after retiring from public service. - Reps. Abigail Spanberger & Garrett Graves, 11/12/24

Though the bill provides welcome relief to public sector workers, it is not 'paid for'; the bill includes no new revenue or cuts to cover the cost of expanding benefits. In 2022, Social Security's chief actuary estimated that the Social Security Fairness act would cost the program some $146 billion. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office analysis of the legislation projected that it would expedite the depletion of the Social Security trust fund reserves by a relatively negligible six months.

While NCPSSM endorses the bill, we support the more comprehensive Social Security improvements offered in Rep. John Larson's Social Security 2100 Act, which includes repeal of WEP and GPO along with increased revenue to cover the costs.

Unions representing public sector employees - from teachers to firefighters - hailed the House passage of the Social Security Fairness Act as a major win for their members. International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) General President Edward A. Kelly said in a statement following the vote, "Now it's time for Senators to step up and send this bill to the President's desk."

Watch Rep. Larson's impassioned speech about his Social Security 2100 Act on the House floor earlier this week.

Related Posts

• Bill to Repeal Social Security WEP & GPO Advances Out of Committee
• It's Time to Repeal WEP & GPO, Says NCPSSM & National Task Force
• Letter Endorsing the Social Security Fairness Act

Sign up to receive blog alerts on Social Security and Medicare