Baton Rouge Reporter

U.S. Representatives Garret Graves (R-LA-06) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) hosted a press conference today alongside various public service retirees to urge more Members of Congress to sign their discharge petition for the Social Security Fairness Act, which currently has 213 signatures.

The lawmakers recently filed a discharge petition to force a vote on their bipartisan legislation aimed at eliminating the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). These provisions, added in 1983, reduce or eliminate Social Security benefits for approximately 2.8 million Americans who have served in public sectors such as law enforcement, firefighting, education, and government roles. The petition requires six additional signatures to move forward with a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Graves emphasized the bipartisan nature of the initiative: “Congress is broken. It’s an incredibly dysfunctional place, but I’ve loved watching what’s happened on this whole initiative... You have some of the most important contributors to our communities that are being discriminated against.” He added that people from all political spectrums are uniting to fix this longstanding issue.

Spanberger echoed his sentiments: “It is an honor to work alongside my colleague and friend, Garret Graves... Since I first came to Congress, I’ve heard from literally thousands of Virginians who are being denied the full retirement benefits they earned and deserve.”

Representatives Greg Landsman (D-OH-01) and Mike Garcia (R-CA-27) also spoke at the event. Landsman highlighted his personal connection as a former teacher and acknowledged the hard work of public employees: “This bill just gives their money back to them. They earned it, but the government has been sitting on their money for decades.”

Garcia criticized WEP as an outdated policy: “The Windfall Elimination Provision is taking advantage of people who are working multiple careers... This is literally the federal government withholding about $200 billion of paid-into money into the Social Security program that should be in the pockets of these folks.”

Additional speakers included representatives from various advocacy organizations supporting public employees. Peter Andreyev from the National Association of Police Organizations stated: “The GPO and WEP have been harming the retirement security of our nation’s police officers by taking away hard-earned benefits simply because they chose a public service profession that mandates early retirement.”

Josh Fannon from Baltimore Fire Officers Association described WEP and GPO as theft: "After several decades... that's when the government says, ‘Not so fast.’ The WEP and GPO say, ‘We can steal from you.’”

Brian Renfroe from National Association of Letter Carriers shared a personal anecdote about his father affected by these provisions: "On a personal note, I recently lost my father who was a retired letter carrier... So this hits home to me personally."

Mark Dimondstein from American Postal Workers Union remarked on progress made towards passing this bill: "We're really proud and pleased that we’re at the cusp of finally righting a wrong."

Lois Carson from Ohio Association of Public School Employees recounted her financial struggles due to WEP/GPO impacts after her husband’s death: "When he died... I couldn’t get his Social Security because we both work under WEP and GPO."

John Hatton from National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association highlighted how federal employees are affected by these policies despite paying into Social Security through separate work.

Ottis Johnson from American Federation of Government Employees supported eliminating these provisions for better service delivery by SSA staff.

Becky Pringle from National Education Association noted how these penalties affect women and people of color disproportionately leading them into poverty during retirement.

Dan Montgomery from Illinois Federation of Teachers stressed unfairness faced by teachers regarding reduced Social Security benefits despite contributions made before joining teaching profession or through summer jobs.

BACKGROUND

Graves and Spanberger reintroduced Social Security Fairness Act in January 2023 during 118th Congress seeking elimination/reforms for WEP/GPO impacting millions adversely reducing/eliminating social security entitlements mainly targeting those engaged within non-social security covered employments like educators/police/firefighters etc., calling unjust reductions causing hardships among beneficiaries forcing continued advocacy/legislative actions urging required hearings/votes marking critical legislative interventions seeking timely resolution addressing existing inequities ensuring equitable treatment safeguarding deserved retirements securing dignified futures protecting long-served civil/public servants deserving due recognitions preserving rightful entitlements mitigating adverse consequences facilitating comprehensive inclusive reforms promoting fairness/equity amidst widespread consensus/bipartisan collaborations emphasizing collective commitments realizing overarching goals advancing mutual interests fostering shared values benefiting broader communities uplifting impacted segments striving towards constructive resolutions reinforcing commitments underpinning sustained advocacies driving meaningful transformations ultimately ensuring fairer social security frameworks universally upheld/respected prioritizing justice/fairness restoring confidence affirming deserved dignities enhancing overall well-being fundamentally shaping future course aligned reflecting broader societal aspirations collectively envisioned firmly anchored pursuing equitable/sustainable outcomes advocating inherent rights/protections duly recognizing valued contributions ensuring enduring legacies securing brighter prospects affirming unified visions collaboratively driven sustained resolutely pursued ultimately realized reaffirming faith inspiring hopes delivering transformative changes tangibly benefiting deserving stakeholders consistently prioritized effectively safeguarded equitably distributed fulfilling fundamental principles underpinning cohesive inclusive society committed fostering fairer just future embodying shared ethos reflecting collective aspirations resonating universally reinforcing common humanity guiding concerted efforts achieving lasting positive impacts shaping promising horizons enriching lives fundamentally ensuring equitable secured dignified retirements celebrating lifelong contributions cherished respected honored appreciated duly recognized eternally remembered indelibly etched societal consciousness inspiring generations fostering legacies transcending times transforming futures meaningfully inclusively purposefully constructively sustainably embodying quintessentially humane endeavors profoundly reflecting collective spirit genuinely aspiring positively progressing collectively envisioning brighter promising just equitable harmonious societies perpetually thriving nurturing flourishing prosperously evolving responsibly inclusively fairly equitably compassionately cohesively inherently imbued deeply ingrained enduringly upheld timelessly preserved cherished universally shared infinitely treasured enduringly celebrated significantly valued infinitely inspiring.