House Passes Legislation to Enhance Social Security Benefits for Millions of Public Service Employees

The House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan bill aimed at increasing Social Security benefits for millions of public service employees. The legislation, known as House Resolution 82 or the Social Security Fairness Act, received a decisive vote of 327-76, with support from 191 Democrats and 136 Republicans. It now moves on to the Senate for consideration.

Supporters of the bill argue that nearly 2.8 million public service workers—including teachers, police officers, and other government employees—would benefit from enhanced Social Security payments upon retirement.

If enacted, this legislation would eliminate two provisions: the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset. The Windfall Elimination Provision currently reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive pensions from jobs not covered by Social Security. Meanwhile, the Government Pension Offset cuts spousal benefits by two-thirds of an individual's government pension.

Among the sponsors of the bill are Representatives Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia). They expressed their commitment to supporting public service workers in a joint statement: "By passing the Social Security Fairness Act, a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives showed up for the millions of Americans — police officers, teachers, firefighters, and other local and state public servants — who worked a second job to make ends meet or began a second career to support their families after retiring from public service. A bipartisan majority of the U.S. House voted to provide a secure retirement to the hundreds of thousands of spouses, widows, and widowers who are denied their spouses’ Social Security benefits simply because they chose careers of service."

However, some organizations have voiced opposition to the bill. The conservative nonprofit Club for Growth urged lawmakers to reject it due to concerns over increasing government deficit levels. They argued that these provisions are essential for maintaining the integrity of the Social Security system by ensuring that those who did not contribute to it through their work do not jeopardize its solvency.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that if approved, this legislation could add approximately $195.6 billion to the deficit over the next decade.

The bill is set to be reviewed by the Senate during its current session before being sent to the President for final approval.