Biden signs bill expanding Social Security to millions

President Biden signed a bill Sunday that expands Social Security retirement payments for those who also collect pensions, like public sector workers.

“The bill I’m signing today is about a simple proposition,” Mr. Biden said ahead of signing the Social Security Fairness Act. “Americans who have worked hard all their lives to earn an honest living should be able to retire with economic security and dignity.”

The bill repeals two policies — the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset — that have stopped certain retirees from receiving Social Security benefits if they get payments from other programs.

The bill passed overwhelmingly in the Senate last month, and in the House in November. This is expected to be one of the last major pieces of legislation signed by Mr. Biden in his presidency.

“I’m proud to be the first president in more than 20 years to expand Social Security benefits,” Mr. Biden said in a statement on X. “Workers who dedicated their lives to their communities deserve to retire with dignity and security.”

The bill will expand benefits for more than 2.5 million Americans, a White House official said.

Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican and a Senate sponsor of the bill, said she was “honored to be in attendance for the signing of the Social Security Fairness Act into law.”

“I have fought for this change since 2003, when I held the first-ever Senate hearing on repealing the WEP and GPO, and I am proud that this law will ensure public service no longer comes at the expense of the retirement benefits earned by an individual or their spouse,” she wrote. 

“This is a win for fairness and for those who have dedicated their lives to serving their communities,” she said.

Public sector workers celebrated the bill. 

International Association of Fire Fighters General President Edward Kelly said that “after 40 years of being treated like second-class citizens, a wrong has finally been righted, and millions of retirees can afford to retire with dignity – and with the Social Security benefits they earned and paid into.”

Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, said the bill was a “historic victory” about “fairness.”

“These unjust Social Security penalties have robbed public service workers of their hard-earned benefits for far too long. They have hurt educators and their families — and damaged the education profession, making it harder to attract and retain educators. And that means students are impacted, too,” she said. “This historic victory will improve the lives of educators, first responders, postal workers and others who dedicate their lives to public service in their communities.”