Congressmen Rodney Davis and Garret Graves celebrated a big step in the process of repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) programs.
The bill, H.R. 82, received the needed 290 co-sponsors to send the resolution up for a House vote.
“This is a day that our efforts paid off,” Davis (R-IL). “We were able to get the 291 co-sponsors on eliminating these egregious provisions in the Social Security Code. Now it’s up to Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi. It’s up to her to call this bill on the floor. Let’s finally live up to the promises Democrats and Republicans have made for decades to vote on.”
WEP applies to people who receive a pension from a government job such as teachers, first responders, and state or parish employees in Louisiana. If the employee worked anywhere outside the government job such as a grocery store and contributed to social security, when it comes time to receive SS, that employee is only getting a portion of what he/she put in.
Plus, the spouse of that employee is also penalized. Compare that to his/her co-workers who never worked for the government and would receive 100% of the social security benefits. GPO reduces the spousal benefits of most people who also get pensions based on government employment not covered by social security.
The bill was originally filed in Jan. 2021. It needs to be voted into law by the end of this year.
“We’ve been telling many of you to help us build support and help us build this network,” Graves said. “That magic number was 290. This is something that’s been in place since 1982 and here we are in 2022 and in a really great spot.”
“As the bill is written, the cuts made to those who have already retired will be eliminated moving forward,” Graves said in a previous interview. “The option for back pay to everyone isn’t included.”
Although the bill needs 290 co-sponsors, they were able to get 291. A date has not been set yet when the bill will head to the House.
Retired law enforcement and I worked side jobs all my life to get enough money to raise my family so I contributed for 50 years and payed for 18 years before they even put the wep in in 1983 I was paying as a young man for the American dream they took money out of my check when wage’s were a1 dollar an hour I couldn’t afford it but they took it when I turned 66 they told me well you are entitled to a 1000 a month we will give 333 a month thanks America repeal this so I can have a couple of years of it anyway and I am not alone