Federal Managers Association

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• Schumer Announces Senate Will Vote on GPO/WEP Repeal - December 11, 2024

• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced an FMA-endorsed bill to repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) will get a vote in the U.S. Senate in the 118th Congress. He addressed a rally on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, December 11. This is optimistic news for the bill, which passed the House of Representatives last month by a vote of 327-75. It needs Senate approval and President Biden's signature to be signed into law. FMA has fought on this issue for decades, and full repeal is closer than ever before. The Senate version of the repeal bill has more than 60 cosponsors, including Vice President-elect J.D. Vance (R-OH).

  “I’m here to tell you that the Senate is going to take action on the Social Security Fairness Act,” Schumer said. “You’re going to find out which senators are with you, and which are against you. I’ve got all of my Democrats lined up to support it . . . and we need 15 Republicans, so let’s get them, and we’re going to have the vote. What’s happening to you is unfair, it’s un-American and I will fight it all the way.”

  The Social Security Government Pension Offset law prevents government retirees who receive a government pension, but did not pay into Social Security, from collecting both a government annuity based on their own work, and Social Security benefits based on their spouse's work record. This is unfair to many spouses, especially widows, who often lose the Social Security protection their spouse provided for them. Under current law, a Social Security widow’s benefit is reduced by $2 for every $3 earned if the widow is eligible for a pension based on a public sector job that was not covered by Social Security. According to the Congressional Research Service, as of December 2022, more than 730,000 Social Security beneficiaries had their benefits reduced by the GPO, with 52 percent being widows. No such offset affects spouses receiving pensions from private sector employers.

  The Windfall Elimination Provision is another inequity that disadvantages many federal retirees receiving Social Security benefits and a federal pension. It reduces the Social Security benefits federal retirees receive based on the number of years they served in a federal position that did not require their payment of Social Security taxes. According to the Congressional Research Service, as of December 2022, the WEP impacts approximately two million people – roughly 3 percent of all Social Security beneficiaries.

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