In the wake of a recent Social Security Advisory Board report, “The Windfall Eliminations Provision: It’s Time to Correct the Math,” which calls for the repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) released a statement in support of the publication’s findings.
“It’s time to repeal the WEP and restore hard-earned Social Security benefits to teachers, police and firefighters,” Brady said. “Like other workers who pay into Social Security and earn a retirement at work, they deserve equal treatment based on their real-life contributions. This bill provides fairness to our local public servants and strengthens the solvency of Social Security in the long term. Now it’s time to move this bipartisan proposal forward.”
Brady and Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) recently introduced H.R. 711, the Equal Treatment for Public Servants Act of 2015, along the lines of the Social Security Advisory Board report, which recommends that Congress act to replace the 30-year old WEP with an updated formula outlined in the Brady-Neal legislation.
The original WEP docks some public workers as much as $400 per month in their Social Security benefits. The new formula would be calculated more equitably and based on real-life contributions by workers into Social Security substitute programs.
“As someone who has worked tirelessly to preserve and protect Social Security, I am pleased to be an original sponsor of this important bipartisan legislation,” Neal said. “Treating our teachers and public servants fairly when it comes to their Social Security benefits is not an unreasonable proposal. I strongly believe these public employees should be treated the same as any other hard-working member of the American family. Social Security is one of our country’s greatest achievements, and by repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision, we will ensure that teachers and public servants receive the retirement benefits they have earned.”