The Social Security Fairness Act has bipartisan support, but time is running out for Senate vote
The House-passed Social Security Fairness Act enjoys rare bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, yet the odds of it getting enacted are growing smaller with each passing day.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to schedule a vote on the bill that would expand Social Security benefits to roughly 2.8 million retirees. Schumer, a Democrat and cosponsor of the legislation, could invoke a Senate rule that would skip a committee hearing and send the bill directly to a floor vote by the full Senate.
On December 10, first responders gathered in Louisville, Kentucky, to call on Republican Senator Mitch McConnell to support to vote on the measure, according to local CBS affiliate WLKY.
"Retirees shouldn't have to choose between paying their bills or buying medication and groceries," said Eddie Campbell, president of the Kentucky Education Association.
What the bill would do
The legislation would eliminate a provision that cuts Social Security payments to some retirees who also collect a pension from jobs not covered by the retirement program. That includes state and federal workers like teachers, police officers and U.S. postal workers. It would also end a second provision that reduces Social Security benefits for those workers' surviving spouses and family members.
"With just eight legislative days remaining in the 118th Congress, Sen. Schumer, a cosponsor of Senate bill S.597, must now step up and take action. It's time for him to follow through and bring it to the floor for a vote," Shannon Benton executive director of The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), told CBS MoneyWatch on Friday.
The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) "penalize families across the country who worked a public service job for part of their career with a separate pension," Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy told colleagues earlier in the week. When those workers "have second jobs, second careers or get married, they receive less from Social Security than if they had never worked in public service at all. That's not right."
In an impassioned speech, Cassidy called on Schumer to schedule a vote, saying lawmakers would approve the legislation.
"If Schumer brings it up, it'll pass," Cassidy stated of the bill, which has 62 sponsors.
A similar plea was also made by New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who late last month held a press conference to urge passage of the measure. "Retired teachers &firefighters deserve access to the Social Security benefits they've earned. That's why I'm working to repeal provisions that unfairly reduce Social Security benefits for public servants. Let's get it done!" Gillibrand also posted on social media.
Introduced by Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Garret Graves, R-La., the bill was passed by the House on Nov. 11 in a 327-75 vote.
The following day, Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, wrote to Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican of Kentucky, urging action.
"You have the opportunity to bring this bill across the finish line," they stated in a letter.
Various forms of the measure have been introduced over the years, but like many legislative proposals, they had failed to get enacted.
"I've been working at the league 25 years, and I don't remember ever not having a version," said Benton. "There is so much momentum, if it doesn't get passed now, a lot of people will lose hope."
Schumer did not respond to requests for comment.
"His office will probably say something about not having time because of the confirmation hearings, etc. We say, 'Add a day to the schedule.' It's been done before," Benton said.