U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator:
On behalf of our 3 million members and the 50 million students they serve, we strongly urge you to VOTE YES on the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82) when it comes to the floor next week. Votes on this issue WILL BE SCORED in NEA’s report card for the 118th Congress.
This will be a historic vote. For decades, repeal of the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) have been among the very top priorities of our members.
The bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act has 62 current Senate sponsors and cosponsors. In November, the House overwhelmingly passed H.R. 82 by a vote of 327-75. The bill fully repeals the GPO/WEP penalties that have robbed 2.8 million retirees all across America, including many educators, of Social Security benefits they or their spouses earned. An additional 6 million working Americans could lose Social Security benefits to the WEP if it is not repealed.
The penalties imposed by GPO/WEP also discourage people from becoming educators—especially those in mid-career, who stand to lose Social Security benefits they have already earned. That, in turn, can adversely affect the quality of the education our students receive.
The coming vote on GPO/WEP is an opportunity for the Senate—with House passage already complete—to demonstrate that Congress can come together, across party lines and geography, to accomplish big things on behalf of hard-working Americans and their families.
We thank all those who have signed onto this legislation and urge each of you to VOTE YES on the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82).
Sincerely,
Marc Egan
Director of Government Relations
National Education Association
