Connecticut legislators have joined CEA in the push to repeal WEP/GPO—federal provisions that reduce or eliminate retired teachers’ Social Security benefits. CEA has been strongly advocating for an end to the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, and now, at CEA’s urging, the Connecticut General Assembly has added its voice to the outpouring calling for repeal.
In a letter to federal elected officials, Democrat and Republican leaders of the Connecticut House and Senate along with three of the state’s constitutional officers outlined why repeal is so important. The letter is being delivered to the House and Senate Majority and Minority leaders, President Biden, Connecticut’s Congressional Delegation, the chair of the Ways and Means Committee, and Congressman Garret Graves and Senator Sherrod Brown who have introduced bills (H.R. 82 and S. 597) to repeal WEP/GPO.
“As elected officials, we recognize the importance of ensuring fairness and equity within the Social Security system,” they write. “It is unacceptable that individuals who have paid into the system and earned their benefits are unfairly penalized simply because they have also served their communities through public-sector work. It is time for these outdated and harmful provisions to end.”
“We thank the leaders of the Connecticut General Assembly for taking a stand and sending a strong message to Congress that WEP/GPO must be repealed,” says CEA President Kate Dias. “While the road to repeal remains long, every step we take along the way gets us closer to eliminating these provisions that penalize teachers.”
“There is widespread bipartisan support across Congress for repealing WEP and GPO. We respectfully request that you take action to make this happen. Doing so would not only rectify a longstanding injustice but also uphold the principles of fairness and equity that are fundamental to our nation,” the letter, which Speaker Matthew Ritter noted into the House record last night, states. “We stand ready to work with you in this endeavor and urge you to prioritize this critical issue for the well-being of all Americans.”
You can join the effort to end WEP/GPO today by emailing the members of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and urging them to continue the push to repeal WEP/GPO.
