Congressman Carter Celebrates President Biden Signing the Social Security Fairness Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) released the following statement after standing next to President Biden at the White House as he signed H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act. Congressman Carter is an original cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation and has been advocating for these provisions to be repealed since before he was elected to Congress.
“Today marks a historic victory for our teachers, firefighters, police officers, and countless other public servants in Louisiana and around the country,” said Rep. Carter. “The Social Security Fairness Act will ensure that these hardworking individuals will no longer face unfair penalties to their earned benefits. Repealing WEP and GPO is about justice and keeping our promises. I’ve been fighting for this change since before I came to Congress, and I’ve worked tirelessly to see this bill make it to President Biden’s desk today. Public servants dedicate their lives to our communities, and it’s only right that they receive the full benefits they deserve.”
The Social Security Fairness Act passed in the House of Representatives in November with a vote of 327 – 75 and in December in the Senate with a vote of 76 – 20.
Background
In December 2023, Congressman Carter was the Ranking Member for a Ways and Means Committee field hearing in Baton Rouge, LA focused on the effects of the Windfall Elimination Penalty (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) on everyday Americans, where he heard from Louisianians struggling to make ends meet due to these harmful provisions.
The WEP and GPO prevent federal retirees like police, teachers, firefighters, state workers and their spouses who earned pensions from those careers from collecting their full Social Security benefits earned while working outside of government, affecting over two million Americans, including thousands in Louisiana.
WEP dates to 1983 and reduces Social Security benefits for workers who paid into both a civil service pension from their time in government employment and Social Security, in a Social Security covered job outside of government.
GPO dates to 1977 and reduces by two-thirds the retirement or disability pension from a federal, state, or local government for spouses and widows or widowers if the spouse or widow did not pay in themselves.
The Social Security Fairness Act would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and has bipartisan, bicameral support.
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