Senate overwhelmingly passes Social Security bill that raises benefits for millions of Americans

The Senate on Thursday passed a Social Security bill that increased benefits for more than two million Americans by eliminating two laws that limited the Social Security payouts that state and local public workers could receive.

The Senate passed the bill in a 73-23 vote, and the House passed the legislation in a 327-75 vote earlier this month, according to The Hill. The bill will now head to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature. 

The legislation repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which combined limit the retirement income of state and local government workers and their spouses who receive money from a separate public pension. These include police officers, firefighters, and teachers.

Supporters of the legislation claimed the current system penalizes people who work in public service along with their spouses, by not giving them the retirement benefits they have earned. 

Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday night, when the Senate advanced the legislation to a floor vote, claimed the current laws have even pushed some retirees close to the poverty line by reducing their Social Security benefits so much.

"Our dedicated public servants, such as our teachers who help prepare our children for future success, or our police officers and firefighters who help keep our communities safe, should receive the full Social Security benefits that they have earned," Collins said in a statement.

Republicans who opposed the legislation claimed that passing it would harm the current Social Security system by speeding up the Social Security’s trust fund insolvency dates. Experts currently predict that retirement benefits will run out in 2033, without any changes, per CNBC. 

“We are about to pass an unfunded $200 billion spending package for a trust fund that is likely to go insolvent over the next nine to 10 years, and we’re going to pretend like somebody else has to fix it,” Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said on Wednesday.

Biden is expected to sign the major legislation when it comes across his desk.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.