WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today demanded the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) immediately implement the Social Security Fairness Act. The Social Security Fairness Act, which fully repeals the two unfair Social Security provisions Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), was signed into law on January 5, 2025, after Cassidy successfully secured a vote on the U.S. Senate floor.
“The Social Security Fairness Act restores full railroad retirement annuities or earned Social Security benefits for railroad retirees, their spouses, and survivors who are receiving public pensions from work not covered by Social Security,” wrote the senators.
“We call for the immediate implementation of this legislation to provide prompt relief to railroad retirees and spouses impacted by WEP and GPO,” continued the senators.
Cassidy played a pivotal role in getting the Social Security Fairness Act signed into law on January 5, 2025. Cassidy successfully demanded a vote on the Social Security Fairness Act. In July and again in December, Cassidy spoke on the U.S. Senate floor urging Congress to repeal WEP and GPO as part of his “Big Idea” to save, strengthen, and secure America’s retirement system. In June, Cassidy entered a statement into the record urging the repeal of WEP and GPO ahead of the U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee field hearing on Social Security.
Cassidy is a long-time cosponsor of the Social Security Fairness Act in the Senate, having been an original cosponsor since he became a Member of Congress in 2009. He led the introduction of the legislation in the 117th and 116th Congresses.
Cassidy led a bipartisan working group to preserve and protect Social Security. 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.”
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 Washington Examiner in July, the Wall Street Journal in March, and State Affairs and Washington Post in May.
As of June 4, 2025, the U.S. Social Security Administration has processed nearly 91% of payments, but retired railroad workers have not yet received the benefits granted to them by the Social Security Fairness Act.
Read the full letter here or below.
Dear Chairman Chorlé,
We write to you concerning the implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act (Public Law No: 118-273). This legislation passed Congress on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis on December 21st, 2024 and was signed into law on January 5th, 2025.1 The Social Security Fairness Act restores full railroad retirement annuities or earned Social Security benefits for railroad retirees, their spouses, and survivors who are receiving public pensions from work not covered by Social Security.
The repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) means that individuals who were previously affected by these reductions will retroactively have their full tier-I railroad retirement benefit amounts restored for months after December 2023, the effective date of the repeal, and for future monthly benefit payments. The Railroad Retirement Board’s (RRB) website currently states, in part:
The calculation and issuance of any retroactive payments, in addition to the processing of new railroad retirement annuity applications, will be delayed by the RRB’s need to significantly reprogram its computer systems to implement the SSFA. We anticipate that most individuals will begin receiving their new monthly annuity amount in July 2025 (for their June 2025 annuity). If an individual is due retroactive benefits as a result of the Act, they will receive a one-time retroactive payment, deposited into the bank account RRB has on file, by the end of July 2025.2
We call for the immediate implementation of this legislation to provide prompt relief to railroad retirees, their spouses, and survivors impacted by WEP and GPO. In the interim, we request monthly updates and briefings regarding the status of the Railroad Retirement Board’s progress towards implementing the Social Security Fairness Act.
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