Golden-backed bill to protect Mainers’ Social Security benefits passes House

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) today voted to pass H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act. The bill would eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), which reduce Social Security benefits for millions of public employees such as teachers and first responders. 

Golden helped force today’s vote by signing a bipartisan discharge petition in September — a procedure that allows a majority of lawmakers to secure a floor vote on legislation that has stalled in committee. While there have been hundreds of discharge petitions throughout U.S. history, few have ever successfully been used to pass legislation out of the House. 

“When someone spends their life serving the public, they should keep every penny they earned for retirement,” Golden said. “These Social Security cuts were wrong from the start and I’m glad we finally forced the House to vote on it.”

After passing the House today 327-75, the Social Security Fairness Act now heads to the Senate, where it will require 60 votes to pass. The Senate’s version of the bill currently has 62 cosponsors. 

The WEP and GPO were enacted in 1983 to reduce Social Security pensions for public employees who already receive other retirement benefits. The WEP reduces payments by up to half for those receiving both Social Security and outside pensions that were excluded from payroll taxes. The GPO reduces payments by up to two-thirds for beneficiaries that receive both a government pension and spousal or survivor benefits from Social Security. 

As of 2023, more than 21,000 Mainers were affected by the WEP.

Golden has worked to repeal the WEP and GPO since arriving in Congress, cosponsoring legislation to do so during each of his terms. He was one of 330 cosponsors of the Social Security Fairness Act this session.

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