Senate passes Social Security benefits increase for some public workers

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

61% : "We want to help in making this happen, but our preference was for it to be part of a much larger Social Security reform," said Dan Adcock, director of government relations and policy at the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, before the vote.
57% : As Congress managed to avoid a government shutdown, the Senate also passed a key bill that will increase Social Security benefits for some public workers.
53% : The Social Security Fairness Act, which passed by a vote of 76-20 in the early hours of Saturday, will eliminate Social Security provisions known as the Windfall Elimination Provision, or WEP, and Government Pension Offset, or GPO, that have been in place for decades.
53% : "To undo the damage made by this legislation, my amendment to gradually raise the retirement age to reflect current life expectancies will strengthen Social Security by providing almost $400 billion in savings.
50% : The WEP reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who receive pension or disability benefits from employment where they did not pay Social Security payroll taxes.
49% : The GPO reduces Social Security for spouses, widows and widowers who also receive their own government pension income.
49% : Those additional costs come as the trust funds Social Security relies on to help pay benefits already face looming depletion dates.
49% : "More from Personal Finance:Answers to common questions on the Social Security Fairness Act73% of workers worry Social Security won't be able to pay benefitsEarly retirement is a surprise for many workers, study findsSocial Security advocacy groups have pushed for larger comprehensive Social Security reform that would use tax increases to pay for making benefits more generous.
41% : "It is absurd to entertain a proposal that would make Social Security both less fair and financially weaker," Paul said at the time.

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