Cranston, RI – U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse along with Congressmen Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo today joined with union officials to call on the Trump administration to swiftly implement a new law that increases Social Security benefits for public service employees. The event took place at National Education Association Rhode Island’s headquarters.
“Thousands of hardworking Rhode Islanders who have dedicated their lives to serving our communities deserve the reassurance that they won’t be short-changed on their Social Security benefits. That’s why I worked for years with my colleagues to pass this legislation and ensure that millions of teachers, postal workers, firefighters, police officers, and other dedicated civil servants get the benefits they have earned,” said Reed. “I’m glad we were able to finally deliver this correction and it is imperative that the Trump Administration acts urgently to implement this law. We will be watching closely. I’m committed to protecting and strengthening Social Security to ensure all Americans are able to retire with the dignity and financial security they have earned.”
“We worked for years to pass this law to finally increase Social Security benefits for retired teachers, police officers, and firefighters across Rhode Island,” said Whitehouse, a founding member of the Expand Social Security Caucus and a longtime cosponsor of the Social Security Fairness Act. “This change will strengthen the middle class, and we are going to keep after the Trump administration to swiftly implement it. I will continue doing everything in my power to protect and expand the benefits seniors have earned over a lifetime of hard work.”
“For too long, public servants—teachers, firefighters, and police officers—have been unfairly shortchanged on the Social Security benefits they have rightfully earned,” said Magaziner. “With the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, we’ve corrected this injustice and delivered long-overdue relief to thousands of Rhode Islanders.”
“The Social Security Fairness Act is a critical new law that expands earned benefits for Rhode Islanders for the first time in over 20 years,” said Amo. “It fixes an oversight where public employees — including teachers, firefighters, and police officers — paid into Social Security but received far less than what they planned for in retirement. I promised to work to get it across the finish line upon arriving in the House. I proudly signed a discharge petition that forced House Republicans to bring the Social Security Fairness Act to the floor — and I was thrilled to vote yes when it passed the House in November last year.”
All four members of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation cosponsored the Social Security Fairness Act, which President Biden signed into law in January.
The Social Security Fairness Act eliminated the Windfall Elimination Provision, which reduced Social Security benefits for retired or disabled workers if they also receive pensions from public sector jobs that are not covered by Social Security.
The bill also eliminated the Government Pension Offset, which reduced Social Security spousal benefits for retired public servants who receive pensions from employment that was not covered by Social Security.
More than 8,600 Rhode Islanders who receive government pensions but also contributed to Social Security through private-sector employment stand to benefit from the legislation.
“This hard-fought, long-awaited legislation exemplifies government working for the people by correcting a provision that unfairly penalized workers for their public service,” said National Education Association Rhode Island President Val Lawson. “The Social Security Fairness Act will significantly improve the lives of our educators and education support professionals.”
“The labor movement has been organizing for this victory for decades. It shows that we will never give up, no matter how long it takes,” said Patrick Crowley, President of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO. “Thank you to the entire Congressional Delegation for their support for Rhode Island public services workers.”
Today, we stand united in this victory, honoring the countless hours of advocacy, resilience, and unwavering determination it took to repeal the WEP/GPO legislation. This journey has been long, but together, we’ve fought for fairness and justice for every worker who dedicated their life to public service. Our success is a testament to the strength of solidarity and the belief that when we stand together, we can change the course of history,” said Maribeth Calabro, President of the RI Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals. “We are grateful for the support of our Congressional delegation, to ensuring that members have these benefits.”
“On behalf of the national Repeal WEP/GPO Task Force committee, and as one of the three founding committee members along with John Pernorio, RI ARA and Roger Boudreau, RIAFT-R, I extend our sincerest thanks and appreciation to our RI federal House of Representatives members and Senators for their sponsorships and continued support to achieve passage of the Social Security Fairness Act,” said Rose Marie Cipriano, President of the RI Association ofRetired Principals. “After forty-two years penalizing public service workers, predominantly educators, fairness was achieved January 5, 2025, when former President Biden signed HR 82 into law. Over three million retirees will no longer have to endure a sixty percent reduction to their owed Social Security benefits. Our RI Congressional delegation’s commitment and respect for all public service workers will forever be acknowledged.”
