Bipartisan Effort To Eliminate Social Security Cuts For Teachers, Police And More Grows In Congress

Public employees like teachers, police officers and firefighters have long faced the challenge of receiving cuts in Social Security benefits when they retire. This is due to some rules – the Government Pensions Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) – which cut into Social Security benefits for more than two million workers who receive pension plans. 

For many, however, the pension plan isn't enough to live on and the cuts in Social Security make retirement life more challenging. A growing bipartisan effort in Congress aims to eliminate these two rules. 

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The Push to Repeal

Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Garret Graves (R-La.) have pushed the Social Security Fairness Act to a vote. This bill is meant to completely repeal the GPO and WEP. As of last week, the petition to force the vote for this bill reached 218 signatures, meaning it will go to vote after sitting on the U.S. House Calendar for seven legislative days. 

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Support for the repeal doesn't stop there. The bill has 327 co-sponsors in the House, so when the vote takes place, it's likely to pass. Over in the Senate, 62 co-sponsors are backing the companion bill. National groups representing police officers, teachers, firefighters and other public employees are also throwing their weight behind the effort, saying it's long overdue.

When the petition to force the vote on this bill reached enough signatures, Graves and Spanberger stated in a news release, "Today is a major milestone made possible by tireless advocates who've made clear that Congress must act. From Louisiana to Virginia to everywhere else in America, millions of retired public servants have waited more than 40 years for their elected officials to tackle this fundamental issue of fairness."

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How These Rules Affect Public Employees

The WEP lowers Social Security benefits for people who receive pensions from non-Social Security-covered jobs. The GPO cuts benefits for spouses, widows and widowers in a similar situation. These reductions can leave some retirees scrambling to make ends meet. At a Senate hearing, one union leader shared the story of a 75-year-old teacher still working. If she retires and starts collecting her pension, she'll lose her Social Security income from her late husband's benefits. Her pension alone wouldn't be enough to live on.

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What Are the Arguments For and Against Repeal?

Supporters of the Social Security Fairness Act argue that the GPO and WEP rules are unfair and disproportionately hurt public servants. Workers have planned to receive their pensions and Social Security for decades, only to be blindsided by cuts. Repealing the GPO and WEP would restore benefits to these retirees and fix what many see as an unjust system.

But not everyone agrees. Critics say repealing these rules could lead to overly generous benefits for some workers – particularly those who only paid into Social Security for part of their careers. Since Social Security is designed to be more generous to lower-income workers, eliminating these rules could unintentionally give some workers higher benefits than they'd normally qualify for.

There's also the issue of cost. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that repealing the GPO and WEP would cost around $196 billion over ten years. With Social Security's long-term funding already in question, some experts suggest reforming the rules rather than scrapping them altogether would be better. 

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What Happens Next?

Even with these challenges, this bill has real momentum and lawmakers are determined to make progress. Public workers impacted by the GPO and WEP are encouraged to contact their representatives to push for change. In the meantime, financial advisors recommend that those affected seek professional advice to understand their options and retirement plans.

The fight isn't over, but the growing bipartisan effort to address this issue could signal a turning point for the many public employees waiting for relief. Whether through repeal or reform, the hope is to finally create a more fair and predictable Social Security system for public workers.

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