U.S. House Passes Social Security Fairness Act to Repeal WEP and GPO, Increasing Benefits for Millions in 6 Weeks

Nov 18, 2024, 05:17 PM

The U.S. House has passed a significant bill aimed at repealing two federal policies that currently limit Social Security payouts for approximately 2.8 million individuals. This legislation, known as the Social Security Fairness Act, seeks to eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which have been criticized for disproportionately affecting retired teachers, first responders, and government employees. Several lawmakers, including Representatives Mike Lawler, Thompson, Grace Meng, and Rutherford, expressed their support for the bill, emphasizing the need to protect the retirement benefits that seniors have earned. The urgency of the situation is underscored by the fact that lawmakers have only six weeks to finalize the legislation, which aims to increase benefits for millions of Americans who have been adversely affected by these provisions.