Bipartisan Legislation, Which Peters Cosponsored and Pushed For, Will Restore and Protect the Social Security Benefits Public Workers Paid Into; Now Heads to President to Be Signed into Law  

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S Senator Gary Peters (MI) helped the Senate pass the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act to ensure that public sector workers, such as teachers, postal workers, police officers, and firefighters, receive the full Social Security benefits they have paid into and earned. The bipartisan legislation, which Peters cosponsored and pushed for, will restore the full Social Security benefits of tens of thousands of Michigan workers and retirees. The bill previously passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support and now heads to the President to be signed into law.    

“Folks who dedicate their careers to the public good, whether it’s teaching our kids or keeping our communities safe, deserve to receive the full Social Security benefits that they paid into and earned once they retire,” said Senator Peters. “I was proud to help pass this commonsense bill that will restore and protect the benefits of thousands of hardworking Michiganders.”    

The Social Security Fairness Act will repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), two provisions that reduced Social Security payments for certain retirees who also received pension income. The WEP currently impacts about 2 million Social Security beneficiaries and the GPO impacts nearly 800,000 retirees across the country.    

Peters has long fought to protect Americans’ hard-earned benefits and ability to retire with dignity and security. Earlier this year, Peters urged the Social Security Administration to address mistaken overpayments that placed undue financial burdens on social security recipients. Peters is also a proud cosponsor of, and has urged Congress to pass, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would strengthen the federal laws that protect workers’ right to form a union to collectively bargain for better wages and benefits.    

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