An Idea Whose Time Has Come!
An Idea Whose Time Has Come!
By Chuck Mulidore
NAPS Executive Vice President
On Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, your NAPS resident officers had the privilege of attending the White House signing of the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023. This was the second time we had the honor of representing NAPS members at a historic bill signing, the first being the signing of the Postal Reform Act of 2022.
Witnessing the president of the United States again sign a bill into law that profoundly impacts postal employees and many NAPS members was a tribute to the hard legislative work done by NAPS members for over four decades to right this injustice. How did we get there and why now?
As you know, Social Security is a vital program that provides financial stability to millions of retirees, disabled individuals and survivors in the United States. However, not all beneficiaries receive equal treatment under the current system. The Social Security Fairness Act addresses these disparities and ensures that all Americans are treated fairly when it comes to their Social Security benefits.
The Social Security Fairness Act rectifies two major issues affecting Social Security recipients: the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). These provisions unfairly reduced or eliminated benefits for individuals who also earned pensions from employment not covered by Social Security.
The WEP primarily impacted individuals who worked both in jobs covered by Social Security and in positions where they earned a pension from an employer not participating in Social Security. As a result, their Social Security benefits often were significantly reduced, even though they paid into the system.
Similarly, the GPO affected individuals who receive spousal or survivor benefits from Social Security, but also have their own government pension. In such cases, their Social Security benefits were reduced by an amount equal to two-thirds of their government pension, leading to decreased financial support in retirement. Thus, these are the key provisions of the Social Security Fairness Act:
1. Repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision
(WEP)—The act eliminates the WEP and ensures that individuals who have paid into Social Security receive their rightful benefits based on their work history.
2. Repeal of the Government Pension Offset
(GPO)—Similarly, the act repeals the GPO, providing fair treatment to spouses and survivors who depend on Social Security benefits along with their government pensions.
NAPS has been involved in the legislative efforts to repeal the WEP/GPO provisions for several decades. This includes testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee in Congress in support of the Social Securi-ty Fairness Act of 2023 by former NAPS President Louis Atkins and current National Auxiliary Secretary/Treas-urer Bonita Atkins on the unjustness of the WEP/GPO.
Finally, after more than 40 years of this fight, we are reminded that legislation can positively affect the lives of ordinary citizens. So, you might ask why, after all these years, did this legislation, which has been intro-duced in Congress every legislative session for decades, suddenly become law?
The great author Victor Hugo wrote: “Nothing else in the world … not all the armies … is so powerful as an idea whose time has come.” Or per-haps you can look to ’90s musical group Huey Lewis and the News in their song, “Hip to be Square:” “But don’t you try to fight it, an idea whose time has come.”
Either way, sometimes things just work out like that. This is why we have to be patient, persevere and stay in the fight until the end. This is who we are as NAPS members and as leaders in dealing with tough legislative issues. If not us, then who will lead these fights for the common good in Congress?
Even the best and greatest of ideas can take time, but never try to stop an idea whose time finally has come!