Statement from House Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal
Dear Mass Retirees:
Statement from House Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal
Dear Mass Retirees:
It was a great pleasure to get to talk directly with so many of you on our tele-town hall in June! As the summer turns to fall, I want to bring you up to speed on our progress on the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). As you know, I have been working for many years to lay the groundwork for fixing this unfair provision. I continue to build support in Congress for my bill – HR 4540, the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act – which provides meaningful relief to current WEP retirees and fixes the WEP formula for future retirees. I’m pleased to report that this bill now has more support in Congress than any previous WEP reform bill, and we are actively looking for ways to be able to advance it this year. The bottom line is that we cannot let public employees continue to miss out on the Social Security benefits they’ve earned over decades of hard work, and I remain committed to advancing a permanent solution to this WEP problem.
What’s more, public employees such as firefighters, public health workers, teachers, and police officers are on the front lines right now, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and making sure that our essential public services continue unabated and our children are able to learn. You can rest assured that I am fighting hard to ensure public employees are not left behind in Congress’s COVID-19 response. That’s why the Heroes Act, which Democrats in the House passed in May, included robust funding for state and local governments, as well as unemployment insurance and a second round of expanded stimulus checks to individuals. I will continue to fight to advance additional pandemic relief legislation and WEP reform this year. Thank you for your ongoing support, and I look forward to keeping you updated as we move forward. Stay safe and stay healthy.
Sincerely,
Richard E. Neal