Duckworth, Durbin Applaud Senate Passage of Bipartisan Legislation to Help Ensure Public Employees Receive Full Social Security Benefits

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded the Senate passage of the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act to ensure public sector workers and their families are able to receive full Social Security benefits after two previous statutes reduced them. The legislation—whose Senate companion Duckworth and Durbin helped cosponsor alongside U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME) and 58 other U.S. Senators—would repeal the Social Security Act’s Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which significantly reduced benefits for nearly 3 million Americans, many of whom are teachers, police officers and state, county and local government workers. The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law. Full text of the legislation can be found on the Senator’s website.

“Millions of Americans have worked their entire lives, paying into Social Security paycheck after paycheck,” said Duckworth. “It’s a well-earned benefit, and I’m proud the Senate passed our bipartisan bill to help us uphold our commitment to building on this critical safety net and protecting it for the folks who teach our children, protect our communities and keep our towns and cities running. I hope President Biden signs it swiftly into law so it can finally begin helping working Americans who depend on it.”

“Our letter carriers, teachers, firefighters, law enforcement, and others dedicate years of service to improving the lives of their neighbors and caring for their communities.  As they retire, hard-working public servants should have access to their full Social Security benefits,” said Durbin.  “I voted in support of the Social Security Fairness Act today to ensure that workers receive the Social Security benefits they’ve earned after a career in public service.”

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