WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate voted Wednesday to advance the Social Security Fairness Act, which can now be brought up for a final passage. For Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who lost reelection in November, it’s a fitting final piece of legislation.
What You Need To Know
- The Senate voted to advance the Social Security Fairness Act, which would restore benefits to some public employees
- If passed, the legislation would be among the last laws co-sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost reelection in November
- The bill must be brought to a final vote before the end of the week, when Congress will adjourn for the holidays
The Social Security Fairness Act would restore full benefits to about 2.8 million public employees who also receive pension benefits, such as teachers, firefighters and police officers. Those employees have not received full benefits in decades due to two laws: the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).
The WEP reduces Social Security benefit payments for workers who receive pensions from federal, state or local government not covered by Social Security. The GPO reduces Social Security benefits for spouses and widows of workers with government pensions.
Brown said he was surprised that the motion passed 73-27, with support from 24 Republicans, including Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio.
“We expected pretty much 49 Democrats and a dozen—15 at the most—Republicans today. We got to 73 votes because people understand the fairness of this, of fixing this,” Brown said.
The vote came one day after Brown gave his farewell address in the Senate, in which he emphasized his career-long focus on union and workers’ rights.
Brown said after years of pushing for the Social Security Fairness Act, he was glad to see it advance before he departs Congress.
“It's a wonderful way to end the year,” he said. “We’re bringing some equity in my state, where 250,000 workers will be helped by this. It really is to me about this canary pin, and about the dignity of work and fighting for workers.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would need to bring the bill up for a final vote this week, before the Senate adjourns for the holidays and the current session of Congress ends. The House passed the bill in November, so it would then head to the president’s desk.
Brown and co-sponsor Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said they were not concerned about the bill’s price tag: $196 billion over 10 years, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Despite expected efforts to reduce government spending by Republicans in the coming session, President-elect Donald Trump has said he will not cut Social Security benefits.