Providence, RI – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today applauded passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, legislation he cosponsored to eliminate two policies that have reduced Social Security benefits for public service employees. The Senate passed the Social Security Fairness Act early Saturday morning, sending the legislation to the President’s desk.
“Retired teachers, police officers, and firefighters in Rhode Island have waited a long time for this relief, and I was very pleased to help deliver it,” said Whitehouse, a founding member of the Expand Social Security Caucus. “I will continue doing everything in my power to protect and expand Social Security benefits for hardworking middle-class families so they can enjoy the dignified retirement they have earned.”
Thousands of Rhode Islanders who receive government pensions but also contributed to Social Security through private-sector employment stand to benefit from the legislation.
The Social Security Fairness Act will eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision, which reduces 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 eliminates the Government Pension Offset, which reduces Social Security spousal benefits for retired public servants who receive pensions from employment that was not covered by Social Security.
Whitehouse is committed to safeguarding and defending Social Security for the seniors who rely on it. Whitehouse’s Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act would protect the solvency of Social Security and Medicare for the long term by requiring the nation’s highest earners to contribute a fairer share of their income into the system.
