WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) wrote directly to House Ways and Means Committee leadership urging them to make life more affordable for New Jersey’s first responders. Her advocacy follows a roundtable discussion she hosted with firefighters and law enforcement officers from around New Jersey on the need to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, policies that unfairly cut hard-earned Social Security benefits for retired first responders.
“In December 2023, I convened a roundtable with firefighters, police officers, and other first responders from across my district whose members are greatly affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision. They told me how their retired members wanted to live in the communities that they had served, but were often unable to afford to stay in New Jersey because of the reduced Social Security benefits they received due to the Windfall Elimination Provision. Given these significant negative impacts to our first responders, it is crucial that the Ways & Means Committee move quickly to bring the Social Security Fairness Act, or other legislation that would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, to the House floor for a vote,” wrote Rep. Sherrill.
The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) affects about 1.9 million workers, mostly state and local government employees including police officers, firefighters, and teachers, and results in them receiving about $75/month less in Social Security benefits than their share of earnings should require. Rep. Sherrill is co-sponsoring two bills to eliminate the WEP and ensure that state and local government employees receive their full Social Security benefits – the Social Security Fairness Actand the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act.
Read more here