WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) urged Congress to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), two unfair provisions penalizing local and state government workers receiving Social Security, ahead of a U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee field hearing on Social Security. Cassidy entered a statement for the record since he was unable to attend the field hearing in Ohio due to his trip to Normandy, France, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
“Police officers, firefighters, teachers, and other state and local workers play critical roles in communities across the nation. Yet, for many, their Social Security benefits are unfairly reduced simply for serving their local community,” wrote Dr. Cassidy.
“Louisiana has more first responders by population than any other state in the nation, meaning our state is disproportionally impacted by WEP and GPO,” continues Dr. Cassidy. “Congress is well overdue to repeal these harmful provisions. They should have never become law. We have an opportunity to fix it.”
Read the full statement for the record here or below.
State and local governments who provide certain pension benefits can opt their workforce out of Social Security without any input from their employees. But when these workers have second jobs, second careers, or married someone with a job participating in Social Security, they are unfairly punished for a choice their government made.
The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) are the provisions responsible for these unfair cuts. This is a problem for firefighters, who have an average retirement age of 52, before going onto second careers. It is a problem for police officers, who have an average retirement age of 55, before going onto second careers. And, it is a problem for teachers, as 20% of all teachers work a second job at any given time. Nearly three million Americans are harmed by WEP or GPO, including many Louisianans.
Louisiana has more first responders by population than any other state in the nation, meaning our state is disproportionally impacted by WEP and GPO.
Our tens of thousands of teachers are being hurt too. Not too long ago, I met with a retired Louisiana school teacher impacted by GPO. As she cried in my office, she could not understand why she was getting less in Social Security spousal benefits than if she had never worked at all. She felt that she was being punished for educating generations of Louisiana children. There is no public policy reason to treat our public servants this way.
This is why I am proud to be among the 57 U.S. Senators trying to repeal WEP and GPO. Our Social Security Fairness Act (S. 597) would ensure that all retired public sector workers can receive the full value of their Social Security benefits they or their spouse earned.
Congress is well overdue to repeal these harmful provisions. They should have never become law. We have an opportunity to fix it.
Background
Cassidy led a bipartisan working group to preserve and protect Social Security. Last spring, he released the inaugural Bill on the Hill video where he asked Capitol Hill visitors from across the country their thoughts on the looming benefit cuts to Social Security and presented his “Big Idea” to save, strengthen, and secure America’s retirement system.
In March, Cassidy grilled U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on President Biden’s plan to address Social Security, to which Secretary Yellen admitted “the president doesn’t have a plan,” to save Social Security.
Cassidy has discussed the “Big Idea” at a public forum with AARP on the future of Social Security, outlined his Social Security plan in a fireside chat with the Bipartisan Policy Committee, and authored op-eds in the National Review, Washington Examiner, and Wall Street Journal, and State Affairs.
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