Schumer has been in Washington, D.C. for far too long. Now he’s making even more waves than before.
And Chuck Schumer’s awful cash grab is turning Americans’ stomachs.
The Senate is gearing up to vote next week on a bill that would repeal two controversial Social Security provisions, restoring full benefits to certain government workers at a hefty cost of $200 billion over the next decade.
This move comes despite the looming insolvency of the Social Security trust fund, projected to run out of money by 2035.
The legislation, known as the Social Security Fairness Act, has already cleared the House with bipartisan support and now awaits Senate approval.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, announcing the procedural steps to advance the bill, framed it as a matter of fairness.
“The measure would ensure Americans are not erroneously denied their well-earned Social Security benefits, simply because they chose at some point to work in their careers in public service,” Schumer said, highlighting professions such as firefighters, teachers, postal workers, and police officers.
At the heart of the legislation is the repeal of the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).
These provisions reduce Social Security payouts for individuals and their families if they also receive pensions from jobs not covered by Social Security.
This primarily affects around 28% of state and local government employees with alternative retirement systems and federal employees hired before 1984 under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS).
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the repeal would significantly boost Social Security spending, adding nearly $200 billion to the program’s costs over a decade.
The bill’s Senate prospects look strong, with 62 cosponsors, including members from both parties, enough to overcome a potential filibuster.
Its progress mirrors the bipartisan effort in the House, where a discharge petition spearheaded by Reps. Garret Graves (R-LA) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) forced a vote on the measure.
Schumer indicated the vote would occur during a packed week, with the Senate also needing to address the annual defense authorization bill and negotiate a government funding extension before the December 20 deadline.
Congressional leaders are eyeing a stopgap measure to maintain current funding levels into mid-March while debating what additional priorities might be attached to the must-pass bill.
“The only way we prevent a shutdown is through bipartisan cooperation, without any last-minute poison pills that only create controversy,” Schumer warned.
“We can’t have that, it has never worked in the past, and adding poison pills at the eleventh hour would only make the risk of a Christmas shutdown greater.”
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
