Rep. Gonzalez Calls for Hearing of Social Security Fairness Act

Rep. Vicente Gonzalez

In a bipartisan effort to protect Social Security benefits for many Americans, Texas Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D) joined 298 lawmakers in calling for a hearing of the Social Security Fairness Act before the Ways and Means Committee.

"Getting rid of the Windfall Elimination Provision is a bipartisan issue effecting our hardworking teachers, police, firefighters, & other public servants. @WaysandMeansGOP it’s time to bring this issue to the table & secure the retirement of those who chose a path of service."

In the letter, the lawmakers express their desire to have the Social Security Fairness Act heard and presumably passed by the House. The proposed bill would repeal the Social Security Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision.

"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," reads the letter.

The Windfall Elimination Program (WEP) reduces the Social Security benefits of a person who did not contribute to the Social Security Trust Fund. The WEP has been highly controversial for its attack on various professions.

"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."

The bill has received overwhelming support in the House and its signees believe that the Ways and Means Committee should assist them in moving the bill forward.

"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."

Joshua Smith

Joshua Smith is a writer and recent graduate, majoring in English.