Garret Graves presses against the odds to get changes to Social Security law
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Garret Graves was about halfway toward getting enough support Wednesday to force a vote on a bill that would free up Social Security benefits for police officers, firefighters, teachers and other government workers in Louisiana and some other states whose employers opted out of the national pension plan back in 1980s.
Dodging through a tight House agenda that is primarily focused on passing budget bills and avoiding a government shutdown on Sept. 30, Graves and co-sponsor Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Virginia, began a petition to force House leaders to call a vote on their Social Security Fairness Act. The act would remove the Windfall Elimination Provision, called WEP, and the Government Pension Offset, known as GPO.
While it’s generally a tall order to persuade 218 representatives to support a “discharge petition,” Graves and Spanberger had 119 signatories Wednesday morning after only 24 hours of trying.
WEP and GPO were included in the law back in 1983 when lawmakers then were trying to stabilize Social Security finances.
Intended to remove a windfall for workers in the handful of states, including Louisiana, that have pension plans and didn’t pay into Social Security, WEP reduces Social Security benefits by about half for many retired or disabled workers. The GPO reduced benefits to spouses or widows of workers who receive pensions that weren’t subject to the Social Security payroll tax.
Over the past few years, revamping WEP and GPO provisions has been an unrequited legislative objective for Graves and Spanberger.
“Millions of public servants across our country,” Graves said, “have waited more than 40 years for Congress to address this basic issue of fairness.”
Spanberger added, “Members on both sides of the aisle understand that every American deserves their full retirement benefits — just like everyone else who paid into the system. Momentum is building, and we will continue working to get this done.”
Both Spanberger and Graves have reason to push this legislation through the House and Senate now, rather than wait until Congress isn’t busy with budget issues and a looming deadline.
Spanberger is leaving the House to run for governor of Virginia. Louisiana legislators in January redrew Graves’ 6th Congressional District to include a majority of Black constituents. He chose not to run for reelection and will leave the House at the end of the year.
Their bill would need to clear both the House and the Senate. There’s little time left. The House will meet for 10 more days to try to stave off a government shutdown. Then Congress won’t return until after the November presidential and congressional elections – and then for only eight days.
They meet again, if necessary, for 12 days in December.