Senate to vote next week on restoring Social Security benefits for government workers

The Senate will vote next week on legislation to repeal two Social Security provisions that limit benefits for some government workers, restoring their full access to Social Security payouts at a cost of roughly $200 billion over 10 years.

The restored benefits for federal, state and local government workers, who also can receive pensions, come as the Social Security trust fund is set to go insolvent in 2035, according to government projections.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced Thursday that he took a procedural step to tee up a vote on the House-approved Social Security Fairness Act.

The measure “would ensure Americans are not erroneously denied their well-earned Social Security benefits, simply because they chose at some point to work in their careers in public service,” the New York Democrat said. “I’m talking about public servants like firefighters, teachers, postal workers, policemen, and so many other jobs like that.”

Specifically, the bill repeals two Social Security provisions called the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) that have reduced benefits for workers and their family members if they receive or are entitled to pensions based on earnings from employment not covered by Social Security and not subject to its payroll tax, according to the Congressional Research Service.

The two largest groups impacted by the GPO and WEP provisions are about 28% of state and local government employees covered by alternative staff retirement systems and most permanent civilian federal employees hired before 1984, who are covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or another alternative retirement plan.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that repealing the two provisions would increase spending by nearly $200 billion over 10 years.

The House passed the bill last month with significant bipartisan support, 327-75. House GOP leaders had not planned to bring the bill to the floor until Reps. Garret Graves, Louisiana Republican, and Abigail Spanberger, Virginia Democrat, filed a discharge petition and successfully obtained the 218 member signatures needed to force action.

The legislation should pass the Senate as its companion measure from Sen. Sherrod Brown, Ohio Democrat, has 62 co-sponsors — enough to clear any potential filibuster.

Mr. Schumer said the Senate vote on the Social Security Fairness Act will come in a busy week for the chamber. The Senate also needs to pass the annual defense authorization bill, which passed the House on Wednesday, and a government funding extension before Congress adjourns for the holidays.

The government funding deadline is Dec. 20. Congressional leaders are negotiating an extension of current government funding levels, expected to last through mid-March, and deciding what other year-end legislative priorities can hitch a ride on the must-pass bill.

“The only way we prevent a shutdown is through bipartisan cooperation, without any last-minute poison pills that only create controversy,” Mr. Schumer said. “We can’t have that, it has never worked in the past, and adding poison pills at the eleventh hour would only make the risk of a Christmas shutdown greater.”