Social Security Fairness Act Passes U.S. House, Heads for Senate Approval 

After decades of advocacy from AFT members and other labor unions of public service employees, is a repeal of the reviled Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) finally at hand? 

The answer now lies in the U.S. Senate. On Tuesday, the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), which would repeal both the WEP and GPO that reduce or even eliminate Social Security benefits for millions of workers, including Texas teachers and school staff, passed the U.S. House of Representatives in an overwhelming, bipartisan vote, 327-75.  

In a statement following the vote, AFT President Randi Weingarten thanked Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Garret Graves (R-La.) for pushing this latest version of the bill forward despite a last-minute attempt by members of the House Freedom Caucus to kill the bill on Election Night. 

“When you contribute to Social Security, it should be there for you when you retire. Period,” Weingarten said.  

The Harm of WEP/GPO

As a reminder for those who have not been confronted with the harmful realities of these aspects of Social Security law, here’s a quick overview. The WEP reduces Social Security benefits for people who have worked in jobs in which they did not pay Social Security taxes – even if they also worked in jobs in which they did. The WEP was first passed in the 1980s as an austerity measure and has since hurt generations of our country’s most critical employees: teachers, school staff, firefighters, and police officers among them.  

According to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), 96% of its members do not pay into Social Security, and so 96% of TRS retirees will have up to 60% of their Social Security benefits cut simply because they worked in Texas public schools.  

What about the GPO? It is perhaps even more nefarious. The GPO reduces spousal and survivor Social Security benefits if the beneficiary is a government employee, including, of course, retired teachers and public school staff members.  

WEP/GPO Repeal in the Senate

Now our Texas AFT Retiree Plus members are asking for your help in ensuring the U.S. Senate’s companion bill, S. 597, earns a floor vote as quickly as possible.  

“The House’s overwhelming passage of the Social Security Fairness Act marks a historic victory for educators, school staff, and public servants across Texas and the nation — one that would not have been possible without many years of tireless advocacy by retired educators and union members,” said Rita Runnels, chair of Texas AFT Retiree Plus, after the vote. “The strong 327-75 vote sends a clear message that supporting our public servants transcends party lines. Now, with 62 Senate co-sponsors already on board, we call on the Senate to move swiftly to pass this crucial legislation. Our educators and school employees have earned their full Social Security benefits through their service and contributions – it’s time to deliver on that promise.” 

The Senate’s bill also has broad bipartisan support; in June, the bill’s author, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), announced it had reached the milestone of 60 co-sponsors. That said, in a lame-duck Congress, timely action is critical to ensure this relief makes its way to retirees this year.  

Here’s Your Homework

Please contact Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and urge them to vote in favor of S. 597. But before they can do so, we also need to urge Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to bring the bill to a floor vote as soon as possible.