On January 5, 2025, President Biden signed into law the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82) which repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). In so doing, the Bill restores long-denied Social Security benefits to millions of firefighters, peace officers, and public employees across the nation.
For over 40 years the WEP and GPO have financially harmed more than 3 million public employees by unfairly reducing or eliminating the Social Security benefits they have rightfully earned during their working years simply because they also receive a government pension.
WEP reduces the earned Social Security benefits of an individual who also receives a public pension from a job not covered by Social Security. Thus, public employees who do not earn Social Security during their public employment but who worked in jobs covered by Social Security for the required 40 quarters, have reduced benefits, even though they have paid into the system. Similarly, the GPO reduced the spousal benefits of public employees. The GPO imposes a two-thirds reduction in benefits received by surviving spouses who also collect a government pension.
The bipartisan bill previously passed the House on November 12, 2024 by roll call vote of 327-75-1. The act was also supported by 76 senators.
