Richard Neal, Chairman
Kevin Brady, Ranking Member
Committee on Ways and Means
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Chairman Neal:
The AFL-CIO supports the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82) scheduled for Committee consideration tomorrow. By eliminating the Social Security Act’s Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), this bill will bring long overdue fairness to more than two million Social Security beneficiaries.
These beneficiaries consist of dedicated public servants—teachers, police officers, firefighters and a myriad of other state and local government employees—who held jobs not covered by Social Security, as well as other jobs for which they did pay into the Social Security through payroll deduction. The application of the WEP and GPO alters the calculation of their earned Social Security retirement benefit so as to reduce, if not completely eliminate, it. The Social Security Fairness Act would eliminate these corrosive two provisions, and we urge you to support it without modification.
Thank you for your consideration of our views.
Sincerely,
William Samuel
Director, Government Affairs