WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) signed a discharge petition to force a vote on the Social Security Fairness Act. This bipartisan and broadly-supported legislation would eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), two provisions that unfairly reduce or eliminate Social Security benefits for Americans who have dedicated their careers to public service – including police officers, firefighters, and educators. The Social Security Fairness Act is cosponsored by 327 members in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“The Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset are why three million Americans have seen their Social Security benefits decrease or disappear,” said Congresswoman Hayes. “Those who dedicate their lives to public service deserve to retire with dignity and their hard-earned benefits. I have long supported efforts to repeal these harmful provisions and advocated for key reforms to strengthen Social Security so retiring seniors and young people can continue to count on this bedrock insurance program for generations to come. Signing the bipartisan discharge petition will help create a fairer future for educators, police officers, and firefighters.”
Currently, the WEP reduces the earned Social Security benefits of an individual who also receives a public pension from a job not covered by Social Security. For example, educators who do not earn Social Security in public schools but who work part-time or during the summer in jobs covered by Social Security have reduced benefits, even though they pay into the system just like others. The WEP currently impacts approximately 2 million Social Security beneficiaries, including more than 22,540 in Connecticut.
Likewise, the GPO affects the spousal benefits of people who work as federal, state, or local government employees — including police officers, firefighters, and educators — if the job is not covered by Social Security. The GPO reduces by two-thirds the benefit received by surviving spouses who also collect a government pension. Nearly 800,000 retirees, including 21,790 in Connecticut, are impacted by the GPO.