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Menendez, colleagues introduce bipartisan bill to ensure public employees receive full Social Security benefits

Social Security Fairness Act would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset from the Social Security Act, securing full benefits for public sector workers and their families

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) joined a bipartisan group of two dozen Senate colleagues in introducing legislation that would ensure public sector workers and their families can receive full Social Security benefits after two previous statutes reduced them.

The Social Security Fairness Act would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) from the Social Security Act.

“Teaching our children, protecting our communities, and keeping us all safe are what our nation’s teachers, police officers and firefighters tirelessly do every day. They deserve to have their full Social Security benefits, including their pensions, that they have rightfully earned,” Menendez said. “Not only has the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset jeopardized the financial standing of our public employees and their families, it has also made the recruitment and hiring of new federal, state and local government employees that much more difficult. As the population increases, the demand for teachers and first responders that secure and tend to the public grows more dire. The Social Security Fairness Act will make certain the diligent men and women who work in the public sector, will retire with their full Social Security benefits intact.”

In February, Sen. Menendez along with Democratic colleagues introduced a Senate resolution that opposed a plan led by Congressional Republicans that would impose a nationwide sales tax on all goods and services, increasing prices for hardworking families by 30 percent. The resolution called for supporting a tax cut that helps working families and grows the middle class while opposing cuts to Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid, or cuts to pay or benefits for servicemembers, veterans, or law enforcement.

The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), enacted in 1983, reduces the Social Security benefits of workers who earned both Social Security and a pension from federal, state, or local government employment not covered by Social Security.  The Government Pension Offset (GPO), enacted in 1977, reduces Social Security spousal benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who receive pensions from a federal, state, or local government job not covered by Social Security. Together, these provisions reduce Social Security benefits for nearly three million Americans – including many teachers, police officers, and firefighters.

In addition to Senators Menendez, the legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bob Casey, Jr. (D-Pa.), Angus King (I-Maine), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

Jay Edwards

Born and raised in Northwest NJ, Jay has a degree in Communications and has had a life-long interest in local radio and various styles of music. Jay has held numerous jobs over the years such as stunt car driver, bartender, voice-over artist, traffic reporter (award winning), NY Yankee maintenance crewmember and peanut farm worker. His hobbies include mountain climbing, snowmobiling, cooking, performing stand-up comedy and he is an avid squirrel watcher. Jay has been a guest on America’s Morning Headquarters,program on The Weather Channel, and was interviewed by Sam Champion.

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