U.S. House passes bill to repeal WEP and GPO provisions of Social Security

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill (HR 82) that would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) that limit Social Security benefits for many teachers and other public servants. Passage came Nov. 12 under the suspensions calendar with 327 yes votes, sending it to the Senate where its fate is uncertain. Twenty-eight of the 37 members of the Texas delegation voted for the bill, with 8 voting no and one abstaining. (To see how your representative voted, click here.)

While a counterpart Senate bill (S 597) has 62 co-sponsors, it is unclear whether the Senate will call a vote before the current Congress ends. If it does not, backers would have to start all over under a new Congress in 2025. 

Unlike in the House, where special rules allowed the bill to reach the floor for a vote, there is no counterpart maneuver in the Senate to compel a vote, and there are other "must do" pieces of legalization that could monopolize floor time and political will. 

Though neither senator from Texas is a co-sponsor on the Senate bill, TCTA members can reach out to Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. John Cornyn to urge support for passage of the WEP and GPO repeal. Cornyn's office can be reached here or by calling 202-224-2934. Contact Cruz here or by calling 202-224-5922.

TCTA will continue to monitor and report on the proceedings.