History was made yesterday! By a vote of 327-75, the US House of Representatives has passed legislation to fully repeal both the Social Security WEP & GPO laws. The bill is now before the US Senate.
While much work remains to be done before we can truly declare victory, last night’s win in the House was a historic event. This was the first time that a WEP/GPO bill has ever advanced beyond a committee, never mind making it to the floor for a vote and being successfully passed.
We should note that HR82 passed with the support of all nine members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation. Unfortunately, Congressman Bill Keating, who is a Mass Retirees member and longtime ally, was delayed on a flight from Boston and missed the vote. The Congressman called me directly once his flight landed to congratulate our Association and express his deep disappointment in having missed the opportunity to vote. Our close friendship and working relationship with Bill Keating dates to when he was a freshman legislator. He has never wavered in his support for public retirees, including the full repeal of WEP & GPO, and we share in his disappointment in missing the vote.
As excited as we are, we know that the path to victory in the Senate is not going to be easy. With a 60-vote super majority required to pass the bill, the margin for success is already tight with 61 Senators on record supporting full repeal of both the WEP and GPO.
However, we believe that momentum is on our side and will do everything possible to advocate for the Senate to act on HR82 and S597 ASAP. This means calling on US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey to push for the issue to be promptly brought to the floor for a vote.
For our members living in New York or who have family and friends living in the Empire State, we urge you to contact US Senator Chuck Schumer. As Senate Majority Leader, Senator Schumer directly controls which bills are scheduled for a vote.
At the same time, we do not know the current position of the Senate Republican leadership, which has openly opposed fully repeal in the past. The position of incoming Senate GOP Leader John Thune (R-SD) is also unknown.
Our colleagues in Texas are aggressively lobbying their Republican Senators to support the bill. And we know that the national coalition of retirees and active public employee unions are doing the same in their respective states. There is an all-out push to pass this legislation and get it to President Biden for his approval prior to the end of the Congressional session on December 20th. Biden is on record supporting full repeal.
We will have more details to share within Friday’s weekly message, as well is in the Tele-Town Hall event taking place this Friday at 1:00 PM EST.
Before closing, I want to thank those members who have taken an active role in helping to advocate for the WEP and GPO to finally end. Your grassroots advocacy has made all the difference!
To be clear, Mass Retirees has not been alone in this fight. I want to thank and credit our public employee unions and retiree association colleagues here in Massachusetts for never giving up on this fight. In fact, Association member John Nelson, First Vice President of the Mass Coalition of Police (MassCop), was present last night in the US Capitol when the House vote took place. We also know that the IAFF, led by our friend Boston Firefighter Ed Kelly, has been instrumental in keeping this issue on the Congressional radar this session.
Our Massachusetts organizations, together with individual retirees and groups throughout the country, have succeeded in passing HR82 through the House. The dedication and perseverance of these individuals and organizations has made all the difference. We have one hurdle left to overcome and will continue to do everything possible to bring relief to our members.
Should this law pass, both the WEP and GPO will be fully repealed. Social Security benefits would be restored from that point forward.
Most sincerely,
Shawn
Shawn Duhamel
Chief Executive Officer
Mass Retirees Association