1. United States
2. Ind.
3. Letter

This bill would repeal the unfair Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provisions that have reduced Social Security benefits for many public sector retirees, like teachers, firefighters, and police officers. These provisions were enacted decades ago to address concerns about "double-dipping" from both a government pension and Social Security. However, they have ended up penalizing hardworking public servants, effectively reducing their earned Social Security benefits through no fault of their own. H.R. 82 rightly recognizes that public employees who earned their government pensions by dedicating their careers to serving their communities should not be subject to these punitive provisions. They paid into Social Security with the expectation of receiving their full earned benefits upon retirement. Repealing these outdated offsets would ensure they receive the benefits they are rightfully due without unfair reductions. This bill represents a much-needed course correction to restore fairness for public sector retirees who have had their Social Security benefits diminished. I urge you to co-sponsor and vote for H.R. 82 to finally repeal these unjust offsets that have penalized so many who spent their working lives serving the public good. It's time to treat public employees' Social Security benefits with the respect and fairness they deserve.