History was made last week when the United States Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass the Social Security Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).
327 members in the House of Representatives and 76 Senators voted to stand with retired fire fighters, police officers, teachers, and other public servants and restore dignity in retirement.
Read below to see what some of them are saying:
” Tonight, the Senate finally corrects a fifty-year mistake by passing the Social Security Fairness Act. Millions of retired teachers, firefighters, letter carriers, and state and local workers have waited decades for this moment. No longer will public retirees see their hard-earned Social Security benefits robbed from them, thanks to this bill,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
“Finally, Congress showed up for the millions of Americans — police officers, firefighters, teachers, federal employees, and other local and state public servants — who worked a second job to care for their families or began a second career to afford to live. Congress showed up for the hundreds of thousands of widows and widowers who are denied their spouse’s Social Security benefits while grappling with their loss. Today, a bipartisan majority of the U.S. Senate voted to correct this glaring injustice,” said Reps. Garret Graves (R-LA) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), the lead sponsors of the House version of the Social Security Fairness Act.
“For decades, I have fought to ensure that public servants get the full Social Security they have earned. Tonight, we passed the Social Security Fairness Act and finally got it done. This is what it means to fight for the dignity of work,” said Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), the Democrat lead of the Senate version of the bill.
“In 2003, I held the first-ever Senate hearing on the WEP and the GPO, and I am pleased that now these unfair provisions in our Social Security system will finally be done away with. This is a victory for thousands of teachers, first responders, and public servants in Maine who, through service to their communities, have been forced to forego their earned retirement benefits. I thank my colleagues for the overwhelming support this legislation has received, as it will help millions of Americans retire with dignity and receive the Social Security benefits they earned through years of work,” said Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), who co-led the Senate version of the bill.
“Today is a day to celebrate! State and local workers in Louisiana deserve the full Social Security benefits they’ve earned. Now they will get it. This was a long overdue step. Now we must save Social Security from insolvency in nine years for every American,” said Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), one of the biggest supporters of WEP and GPO repeal in the Senate.
“I have been working on the Social Security Fairness Act for as long as I’ve been representing Alaska in the United States Senate. There is no doubt that Congress has taken too long to address this inequity, but I am grateful to the diligent bipartisan work of my colleagues to help us finally get this over the finish line. This legislation takes care of Alaskans who have dedicated years of service to our communities, serving in integral roles such as teachers, firefighters, and police officers. Hardworking public servants should not be denied the benefits that they paid for because of their career choices, and I’m relieved that this longstanding injustice has been remedied,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
“Public servants — like teachers & firefighters — deserve to receive the full Social Security benefits they earned. I’m proud to have helped pass the Social Security Fairness Act, which will eliminate unfair reductions in Social Security payments for 2.5 million Americans,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
“The Social Security Fairness Act has been introduced in every Congress since the 107th. In the 118th, it was the most co-sponsored piece of legislation with over 300 co-sponsors in the House and over 60 in the Senate. Tonight, it passed the Senate. Now, it goes to the President. Next week it will be law, and millions of retirees will see a huge increase in their monthly incomes. For decades, Congress has been stealing from public retirees like our teachers, letter carriers, nurses, police officers, and firefighters. Finally, they will get all the benefits they’ve paid into and earned,” said Congressman Greg Landsman (D-OH).
“By passing this legislation and repealing two Social Security provisions that have impacted thousands of West Virginians, our police officers, firefighters, and other local and state public servants who may have worked a second job or re-entered the workforce after retirement to support their families are no longer being unfairly penalized. Nor are spouses, widows, and widowers who had their benefits severely reduced or entirely eliminated because they also collected a government pension. Repealing these provisions is the right thing to do and will help so many who have dedicated their lives in service to their communities,” said Senator Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV).
“Thanks to the teachers and firefighters, police officers and postal workers, and everyone who stood up and raised their voice, we made change. 3 million public servants will get their full Social Security benefits that they earned. We fought hard and got it done,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA),
“I’m grateful for the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act for the sake of teachers, nurses, postal workers, law enforcement officers, and fire fighters in Colorado and nationwide. This bill will ensure these critical members of our society get the Social Security benefits they’ve earned,” said Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO).
“Virginia’s firefighters, police officers, and other dedicated public servants deserve the full Social Security benefits they’ve earned,” said Kaine. “I’m glad to have cosponsored and voted for this legislation to help deliver on that principle, and encourage President Biden to sign it into law as quickly as possible,” said Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA).
“From firefighters to teachers to food safety inspectors, we count on the services that public employees provide every day. Our passage of this bill is a critical step toward ensuring all public workers and their families can retire with dignity, receiving the full Social Security benefits that they have paid into – and earned – after years of hard work,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
“For decades teachers, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and other public servants have been cut out of Social Security if they had a second job. Today, I supported the Social Security Fairness Act, which will ensure those who have paid into Social Security receive the benefits they’ve earned. While the bill solved one problem, it failed to address the long-term solvency of Social Security to uphold the promise for everyone. There is much more work to be done to protect Social Security in the days ahead,” said Senator James Lankford (R-OK).
“Public employees like law enforcement officers and teachers are dedicated to serving communities across the country. There are thousands of hardworking Nevadans who have paid into Social Security at some point in their career but can’t access the full benefits they’ve earned. I commend my colleagues in the Senate for passing this important legislation to fix this issue, and I look forward to the President signing it into law,” said Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).
“Social security is not free. People pay into it. The money we “spent” today in this bill – all we did is give it back to the people who earned it. Today was a good day. It was a good day for fairness, it was a good day for the Social Security system, and a good day for the people of Louisiana – even if you aren’t affected by these two unfair provisions of the Social Security Act, all Louisianians I know believe in fairness. Right is right and wrong is wrong, and I think we did the right thing here, and I’m pleased,” said Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) in a video on X following the vote.
“Anyone who’s paid into Social Security over their career should have access to the full benefits they’ve earned. I helped pass the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act to ensure hardworking teachers, firefighters, law enforcement, and others can fully access their benefits,” said Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV).
Learn more about the IAFF’s work to repeal the WEP and GPO penalties here.
