The Social Security Fairness Act is moving forward in the Senate after House passage and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced plans to invoke cloture, limiting debate and setting a 30-hour window before a final vote. The bill would eliminate two federal policies that reduce Social Security benefits for millions of Americans, including firefighters, police officers, and teachers.
The legislation aims to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which broadly reduce payments to nearly 3 million retirees. The WEP impacts about 2 million Social Security beneficiaries, while the GPO affects nearly 800,000 retirees. The bill would also end a provision that reduces Social Security benefits for those workers’ surviving spouses and family members.
The measure has been introduced several times in the past but failed to pass. It currently has 62 cosponsors in the Senate, with supporters including Schumer, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, and various advocacy groups. However, opposition includes the Committee for a Responsible Budget, which warns that repealing WEP and GPO could accelerate the trust fund’s demise.
The Social Security Fairness Act would increase federal deficits by an estimated $195 billion over a decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. If not acted upon, the measure “dies” at the end of the current session of Congress on December 31.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/social-security-fairness-act-chuck-schumer-senate-vote