Congressman Carter Praises Senate Passage of Social Security Fairness Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) released the following statement after the Social Security Fairness Act passed in the Senate. 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Carter is an original cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation and has been advocating for these provisions to be repealed since before he was elected to Congress.

“WEP and GPO are harmful provisions that slash public servant’s Social Security benefits. I’ve fought for this position from the beginning and am hopeful that it will be signed by President Biden before the end of the year,” said Rep. Carter. “Our teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other federal employees should NOT be penalized when it comes to collecting their pension. We must change this antiquated law and give people the benefits they’ve earned! Promises made, promises kept!”

The Social Security Fairness Act passed the House in November with a vote of 327 – 75.

Background  

Last December, 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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