Support HR 2273, Restoring Fairness for Federal Retirees' Pensions

I am delighted to be an original cosponsor of HR 2273, Rep. Jefferson's bill to address the unfairness of the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provisions.

Past policy decisions preclude a federal retiree from receiving their own earned benefit plus a full spousal benefit under Social Security under the "dual entitlement" rule. The application of these principals to government retirees has had a unfair effect on over 200,000 government retirees, many of them low-income women.

Federal employees have contributed a much higher portion of their wages toward their retirement than private sector employees throughout their careers. They are entitled to adequate security in their retirement years, without loss of spousal benefits under Social Security.

I support Rep. Jefferson's bill and his efforts to remove the offset for anyone whose combined federal pension and spousal Social Security benefit was $1,200 a month or less. His bill addresses the plight of those who are most in need: teachers, cafeteria workers, janitors, secretaries who worked so hard for their families, their communities and their government.

This bill was introduced with 51 cosponsors. I challenge the Republican leadership to take note of this strong interest and put this bill on their agenda.

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