Approximately 3 million Americans would receive full Social Security benefits under a bill passed near the end of the current Congress and sent to President Biden, who is expected to sign the bill.
Senators voted 76-20 in favor of the Social Security Fairness Act. repeal two federal policies That leaves about 3 million people, including police officers, firefighters, postal workers, teachers and other public pensioners, unable to receive their full Social Security benefits. The legislation has been decades in the making, with the Senate holding its first hearing on the policy in 2003.
After senators approved the bill at 12:15 a.m. Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, declared, “The Senate is finally righting 50 years of wrongs.”
Parliament has decided to pass the bill. After receiving bipartisan approval in the U.S. House of Representatives in November, Senate confirmation came just after midnight, ahead of a continuing resolution to keep the government in place. from shutdown. This vote was the last vote cast by senators in the 118th Congress before they are sworn in to the next Congress on January 3.
Democratic Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost his seat in the November election, said, “Social Security is the foundation of our middle class. It’s something you earn for 40 quarters, and you should have Social Security when you retire.” ” he said. “All these workers want is something for what they earn.”
Senators rejected four amendments and budget ordering that could derail the bill, given the short time left for passage.
Most Republicans who opposed the bill objected to its costs, noting that it would bring forward the projected collapse of the Social Security Trust Fund by about six months, compared to the current estimate of about 10 years. The bill’s Senate sponsors, including Louisiana Republican Bill Cassidy, argue that while Social Security’s funding shortfalls need to be addressed, it should be done at the expense of retirees receiving state pensions. argued that it was not.
When will the Social Security Fairness Act come into effect?
According to the text of the bill, if the bill is signed into law, the effective date would include Social Security payments for several months starting in December 2023.
Shannon Benton, executive director of the Alliance for Older Americans, which advocates for retirees and has long pushed for benefits, said the bill’s passage would help “millions of people who have been denied the full benefits they rightfully earned.” “This is a monumental victory for these public servants.” Expansion of social security benefits. “This legislation will finally restore equity to the system and ensure that the hard work of teachers, first responders, and countless public servants is truly recognized.”
What is the Social Security Fairness Act?
The Social Security Fairness Act would eliminate two federal policies that reduce Social Security payments to approximately 3 million retirees: the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).
This includes people who also collect pensions from state or federal jobs that are not covered by Social Security, such as teachers, police officers, and U.S. postal workers. The bill would also repeal a second provision that would reduce Social Security benefits for surviving spouses and family members of these workers. WEP affects approximately 2 million Social Security beneficiaries and approximately 800,000 retirees in GPO.
The bill, which passed the House in November, had 62 co-sponsors when it was introduced in the Senate last year. But bipartisan support for the bill has waned in recent days, with some Republicans expressing doubts because of the cost. The bill is expected to increase the federal budget deficit by $195 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
The first procedural vote on Wednesday included 24 Republican senators, including Vice President-elect J.D. Vance of Ohio, in addition to 49 Democrats pushing the bill.
Without Senate approval, the bill’s fate would have ended this Congress and it would have had to be reintroduced in the next Congress.
