Between the hustle and bustle of the holidays and the recent chaos in Washington, some very good news flew under the radar.
Congress finally passed the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act (SSFA), which will ensure that millions of retired public servants — including tens of thousands here in Maine — receive the full Social Security benefits they deserve. The new law even includes a provision to pay some recipients retroactively for 2024.
The passage of the SSFA, which President Biden is expected to sign into law on Jan. 6, was years in the making. And long, long overdue.
So, how’d we get here?
Back in the 1980s, Congress passed a pair of amendments designed to address so-called “inequalities” in the Social Security System: the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).
As the argument went at the time if people were already receiving pensions from public-service jobs (including through their deceased spouse), giving them full Social Security benefits would be unfair — and put the program’s future solvency at risk.
Congress could have addressed the solvency issue head-on, whether by marginally increasing taxes on the wealthy or broadening the overall tax base. Instead, it chose to punish middle-class Americans.
Over the years, and even before I was elected to Congress, I’ve heard from countless Mainers who have been affected by the WEP and GPO. Firefighters who worked a second job just to make ends meet. Teachers who took a summer job to cover the bills. Police officers. Postal workers. People who dedicated their lives to public service. People were counting on full Social Security benefits to help them get through retirement.
Most workers affected by the WEP and GPO — including nearly 30,000 Mainers — were losing out on hundreds of dollars a month in benefits when you’re on a tight budget (like so many of these retirees are), that can really add up, especially during times of rising costs and high inflation.
The unintended consequences of the WEP and GPO were just as problematic. One obvious example: is discouraging people from pursuing — or staying in — public service jobs.
While research on this specific impact has been limited, it’s not hard to see how a significant reduction in potential retirement benefits would dissuade someone from entering the public sector. And that’s before we get to the long-term ramifications — not just on the quality and reliability of public services, but on the very fabric of our communities.
I joined this bill as a co-sponsor during my earliest days in Congress, and I’ve been working with my colleagues ever since to get it across the finish line. For years, SSFA had been stuck. But thanks to a discharge petition, my colleagues and I were able to finally bring it up for a vote. It was this bipartisan effort in the House — led by Reps. Spanberger and Graves — that demonstrated the bill’s strong, broad support. It could no longer be ignored or left to languish.
When my time came to vote “Yea” on the floor, knowing the impact it would have on so many Mainers, the satisfaction I felt was enormous.
In the hours and days following the announcement, our offices and social media feeds were flooded with messages from constituents, many of whom shared their own stories about how WEP and GPO had affected them.
The Maine schoolteacher who worked for 23 years, only to receive a minuscule monthly check.
The retired postal worker who has been denied earned benefits for years.
The public library retiree, living on a small pension and reduced Social Security benefits.
I’m so happy for all of them — and for the millions of Americans who stand to benefit from this game-changing, long-overdue legislation.
To the hundreds of concerned Mainers who reached out to me and my office over the years pushing for this change, thank you for making your voices heard. You really did make a difference.
Make no mistake: We still have a great deal of work to do to protect Social Security for future generations. But for now, let’s take a moment to celebrate the passing of the SSFA — and what it will mean for so many of our fellow Mainers.
And, given all the chaos and vitriol in Washington that has sadly become the norm, it’s a good day when we can celebrate wins like this that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of people in Maine and across the country. Public servants who do so much for the rest of us and who have suffered through this for so long.
The passage of the SSFA reminds us of what we can accomplish when we work together to find common-sense solutions to real-world problems — and the incredible impact constituents can have when they advocate for the things they believe in.
It’s my sincere hope we can finally strike the kind of bipartisan consensus to guarantee the long-term strength and solvency of Social Security— and ensure that every American, regardless of their job, can retire with the dignity and peace of mind they deserve.
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