Central Louisiana News

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) addressed the U.S. Senate floor, urging the Senate Majority Leader to prioritize the Social Security Fairness Act over Biden-Harris judicial nominees. The act, which passed with strong support in the U.S. House of Representatives, aims to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), two provisions that affect Social Security benefits for certain public service workers.

“We can repeal two unfair Social Security provisions with the Social Security Fairness Act today if the Majority Leader schedules a vote,” stated Dr. Cassidy. He emphasized that WEP and GPO penalize public servants like police officers, firefighters, and teachers who have separate pensions due to their service.

Dr. Cassidy has been an original cosponsor of this legislation since 2009 and has consistently advocated for its passage in previous congressional sessions. He reiterated his commitment by stating, “I am ready to vote yes on the Social Security Fairness Act and repeal WEP and GPO for Louisianans and Americans across the country.”

The senator highlighted that these provisions create inequalities by reducing earned Social Security benefits for individuals with non-Social Security-covered pensions or government pensions, affecting spousal or survivor benefits as well.

Cassidy's efforts include a bipartisan working group aimed at preserving Social Security and engaging in public discussions about securing America's retirement system. He criticized current legislative priorities by saying, “Instead, day after day, Senate Democrats have focused their attention on ramming through partisan nominees rather than passing serious legislation.”

The senator concluded his remarks by calling on the Majority Leader to schedule a vote on the bill: “We owe it to every public servant who has taught our children, protected our streets, ran into burning buildings, and more to get this passed.”