Law enforcement group lauds passage of Social Security Fairness Act

A law passed last week as Congress narrowly averted a partial government shutdown to address the cuts Social Security for some public sector workers was praised by law enforcement groups, despite criticism from opponents who said the cost would hasten the program’s insolvency.

The Senate overwhelmingly passed the Social Security Fairness Act on Saturday, bipartisan legislation to repeal two little-understood rules: the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). The legislation effectively repeals 1980 rules that reduced benefits for public employees receiving state pensions.

The bill was sent to President Biden.

In the House, 327 members and 76 senators voted in favor of about 3 million retired firefighters, police officers, teachers and other public sector workers who also receive pensions, Mick McHale, president of the Association, told Fox National Police Organizations. Digital news.

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“For more than 40 years, men and women, especially in the public safety field … have been penalized as a result of the pension system they belong to,” McHale said.

Firefighters, police, postal workers, teachers and others with a public pension have received reduced Social Security benefits for jobs they held in the private sector because of the WEP, which was designed to prevent the called double dipping of a public pension and Social Security.

The GPO ensures that spousal benefits are adjusted to reflect public pension income in an effort to avoid overpayments from Social Security.

“This is a victory for thousands of Maine teachers, first responders and public servants who, through service to their communities, have been forced to give up hard-earned retirement benefits,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R- of Maine, leader. sponsor of the measure.

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Critics of the bill argued that it would cause more trouble for Social Security to move forward. The legislation will add $196 billion to the federal deficit over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, called the bill “fundamentally unfair,” saying it would affect millions of people who have paid into Social Security.

“This bill would force those workers, 96% of them in the United States, to subsidize too generous benefits for the 4% of the workforce, those who have not participated in Social Security and instead contribute to pensions not covered,” Lee said. Senate floor.

Despite some criticism, Congress overwhelmingly favored changing the system, McHale said,

“The men and women who are in Congress clearly recognized the injustice that was being applied when it comes to a Social Security benefit that was well-deserved and earned,” he said.

He acknowledged that many retirees sometimes continue to work in other areas that contribute to Social Security.

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“However, that time period we were in law enforcement officersThe profession is where the penalty is applied when we reach our golden years and we should be enjoying the benefits of our efforts,” he said.