Last Friday, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) hosted a field hearing on GPO/WEP repeal—the latest in a series of congressional hearings that have helped build record support for that goal. The Social Security Fairness Act (S. 597/H.R. 82), which would fully repeal GPO and WEP, now has 57 cosponsors in the Senate and 322 in the House.

NEA member Cheryl Williams, an elementary school secretary, was among those who testified. “I speak today, not only for myself, but on behalf of all education support professionals in Ohio,” she said. “I started my career in education in 2001 after working for nearly 24 years in the private sector where I earned over $500,000.00 in Social Security taxable income.”

Yet, because of the WEP, Williams will get only a fraction of the Social Security retirement benefit she earned. On top of that, the GPO will deprive her of most—if not all—of her Social Security spousal benefit.

“We are a family that has dedicated our lives to serving our communities. Our daughter is a school counselor, and our son is a high school custodian. It is my utmost hope that the Social Security Fairness Act overturns these antiquated penalties so that they do not have to endure these same worries as they look forward to their own retirement,” Williams said in closing.

In other Senate action last week, Republicans blocked a floor vote on the Right to Contraception Act (S. 4381), which would codify and ensure access to contraception nationwide.

Several states have already taken steps to restrict access to contraception—for example, by eliminating public funding for intrauterine devices (IUDs) and emergency contraception like Plan B. As NEA said in a letter urging support for the bill, every woman deserves the right to determine what happens to her own body.

On the House side, a subcommittee of the Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing on the consequences of immigration for K-12 schools. In a letter conveying comments, NEA noted that funding shortfalls in K-12 schools are neither new nor driven by immigration—federal support for education has declined by $13.6 billion (after adjusting for inflation).

Tell Congress what you think!

In solidarity,