WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Garret Graves led a formal request signed by 100 Members of Congress requesting that the House Ways and Means Committee hold a hearing on H.R. 82 – the Social Security Fairness Act. The legislation, which was introduced by Graves to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) social security penalties, is the 3rd most cosponsored bill of the current congressional session, with nearly 300 champions.
This penalty has been an issue for four decades, and we are in the strongest position yet to secure a fix. A hearing is an important step in ultimately getting this legislation moving and problem solved.
Click here to read the letter, or below:
As supporters of H.R. 82 – The Social Security Fairness Act, we write to you today to request that the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means hold a hearing on the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset (WEP/GPO). With broad bipartisan support for a solution gaining momentum, we believe that the Committee should take advantage of this opportunity to hear directly from those who are affected by these policies.
We know that Committee leadership is committed to protecting America’s retirees. For decades, millions of public servants affected by WEP and GPO have had their retirement benefits unfairly reduced. Today, as costs at the grocery store and elsewhere go up, millions of Americans on fixed incomes are struggling to make ends meet. These challenges are made more acute for teachers, first responders, state employees, and others who have their Social Security benefits reduced by WEP, GPO, or both.
A bipartisan coalition of 298 members of the House of Representatives have expressed their support for H.R. 82 by signing on as cosponsors, which would fully repeal both WEP and GPO and provide direct relief to 3% of all Social Security beneficiaries. We believe that H.R. 82 is the best solution, and we are committed to working together with Committee leadership on a fair path forward. We urge you to work together to take advantage of this current momentum and take the first step toward bringing a fair legislative solution to the floor through regular order.