November 8, 2024 – Washington, DC: The US House of Representatives has scheduled a vote on HR82, legislation that would fully repeal both the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) laws. This vote may take place as early as Tuesday, November 12th.
However, the nationwide effort to repeal WEP/GPO was nearly derailed earlier this week.
Late Tuesday afternoon, while the country was focused on the Election, two members of the right-wing Freedom Caucus attempted to use a procedural maneuver to table HR82 and prevent the bill from advancing to the House floor for a vote. Had it been successful, the move would have ended any hope of ending WEP/GPO in 2024.
Due to the particulars of the discharge petition that was set to successfully move HR82 onto the House calendar and the swift action of House leaders, the move to table the bill was not successful. However, the measure (called a suspension calendar) in which the bill is being brought to the floor for a vote requires a 2/3rd majority of Housemembers to pass. While HR82 does have the support of 330 House cosponsors – a super majority of support – it is unknown as to whether the support will translate to “Yes” votes on the floor. And the vote count heading into next week is only one of many unknowns.
This is why Texas Retired Teachers Executive Director Tim Lee and I visited Capitol Hill on Thursday afternoon. After having spent more than a decade working together on behalf of our respective members to bring an end to these unfair federal laws, it was important for us to gain firsthand knowledge of the evolving situation on Capitol Hill and share what we learned with retirees.
Thankfully, we had planned to be in Washington, DC this week for many months – well before the move to force a House vote on WEP/GPO took shape.
As you may know, Nancy McGovern and I are in Washington, DC this week for the Annual Conference of the Public Sector Healthcare Roundtable. The TRTA belongs to the Roundtable as well, with Tim also an active participant in the Annual Conference.
In addition to developing a better understanding of the situation and process being used to advance HR82 to a vote, we also used Thursday as an opportunity to clearly restate our core belief that both the WEP and GPO laws are unfair, harmful to public retirees, and must be ended. We also made clear that retirees deserve a vote to take place this year.
To recap where things now stand:
- HR82 is on the Suspension Calendar to be taken up next week. The vote may come as soon as Tuesday (11/12). Under House rules, a 2/3rds majority is required to pass a bill through the Suspension Calendar.
- It is unclear as to whether HR82 will receive a clean yes/no vote, without amendment or a compromise alternative being offered. Those details are the decision of the House leadership, which is controlled by the Republican party.
- Senate strategy. If the House does pass HR82 or another WEP/GPO bill, what is the strategy to pass the bill through the US Senate prior to adjournment on December 20th? Not only is there limited time remaining in the session, but with the Senate about to change hands to Republican control in January much uncertainty now exists. The Senate’s GOP leadership has long opposed full repeal of WEP/GPO. Whether they would move to block passage of HR82, should it be approved by the House, is unknown.
Please look for breaking news alerts throughout next week. We will update members as soon as the House acts.
We are also holding a Tele-Town Hall meeting next Friday, 11/15, at 1:00 PM EST.The latest news on WEP/GPO will be a major topic of discussion.
Finally, we know that these issues are of great importance to the majority of our members. Many members have become personally involved in the grassroots advocacy to end WEP/GPO. As I say in the attached video, we are at the point where a vote is likely to finally take place because of the dedication of our members and retirees like you from all across the country. You have made the difference! We’re not going to stop fighting until we win.
Before closing, Happy Veterans Day to those members who have served our country. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. It is a true honor to represent you.
With great appreciation,
Shawn
Shawn Duhamel
Chief Executive Officer
Mass Retirees Association