The Social Security Fairness Act is one step closer to making it onto President Biden’s desk.
The Senate advanced the bill Wednesday in a procedural vote of 73-27.
The bill would eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, which supporters of the bill say unfairly reduce Social Security benefits of public sector employees.
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill.
Cassidy took to the floor yesterday to urge his colleagues to support it, recalling a meeting he had in his office with a retired schoolteacher.
“She had worked, say, for 20 years in the private sector. She was getting less from spousal benefits than if she had never worked at all,” Cassidy said in his floor speech. “She felt like she was being punished for educating generations of Louisiana children, and she was being punished.”
Opponents say repealing WEP and GPO will cost too much money.
“To my colleagues who are concerned about the price tag, I hear you,” said Cassidy. “The good news — I have a plan that helps address these concerns. I have a comprehensive Social Security plan that addresses both the insolvency in nine years and including paying for this repeal of WEP and GPO.”
Cassidy also addressed concerns of whether this bill would alter the retirement age.
“It does not increase the full retirement age,” Cassidy pointed out. “People can still retire at the age at which they planned to retire.”
The Senate will take a final vote on the bill later this week.
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