NARFE Continues Push to Repeal WEP and GPO

NARFE has long supported the repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). Even as we have built substantial support in Congress for repeal, neither chamber has yet passed any bill to repeal either provision.

However, with the recent adoption of a House rule allowing bills with at least 290 cosponsors to receive a vote, we have inched closer to forcing a House vote on a bill, H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, to repeal both WEP and GPO. While continued advocacy throughout the year helped tick up the cosponsor number on the bill, NARFE accelerated the push for House support in the spring and early summer.

As a reminder, both WEP and GPO reduce the Social Security benefits of local, state and federal retirees who worked in Social Security-covered employment (e.g., private-sector jobs) and who also receive a government annuity from their non-Social Security covered government employment, such as federal employment covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). WEP reduces the primary benefit, while GPO reduces spousal benefits.

As of December 2021, the WEP affected nearly 2 million people, 1.9 million of those being retired worker beneficiaries. The remaining individuals were disabledworker beneficiaries and eligible family members of retired/ disabled worker beneficiaries. Additionally, the GPO affected more than 723,000 Social Security beneficiaries—52 percent spouses and 48 percent widow or widowers.

At press time, the Social Security Fairness Act, H.R. 82/S. 1302, introduced by Rep. Rodney Davis, R-IL, and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH, had 280 bipartisan cosponsors in the House and 39 in the Senate. Per recent House rules, any bill that obtains 290 cosponsors may be placed on the House Consensus Calendar, allowing the bill to be considered so long as it maintains those cosponsors for 25 legislative days—essentially, days when the House is in session.

REPEAL BILL Members must keep up momentum on grassroots efforts to increase cosponsors for the Social Security Fairness Act, H.R. 82/S. 1302. This bill would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). Thanks to member engagement, the bill is nearing 290 cosponsors, the number needed to have the bill placed on the House Consensus Calendar for a floor vote, per House rules. Use NARFE’s Legislative Action Center, located at www.narfe.org, to personalize a message to your Representative and Senators urging them to cosponsor the bill.