Daniel,

Thanks to your tireless advocacy, the push to repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) has taken a historic step forward. On Sept. 10, Reps. Garret Graves (R-LA) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) filed a discharge petition to force Speaker Johnson to bring the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82) to the floor for an up-or-down vote.

To succeed, the discharge petition needs at least 218 signatories—a majority of the House. More than 170 members signed the petition in the first few days before the House left for the weekend: see who they are here. Let’s keep up the pressure when they return on Tuesday, as members must physically sign the petition in the House chamber.   

Meanwhile, Congress is scrambling to pass a short-term funding bill to keep the government running after Oct. 1, when FY2025 begins.

The story is the same as it was last year. Most senators and some House members want to take a bipartisan approach, adhering to funding levels in previously passed legislation while investing in targeted increases like IDEA and Title I. Speaker Johnson has other ideas. He wasted last week catering to demands from extremists, ultimately withdrawing a proposed six-month funding patch.

Cooler heads are likely to prevail. We expect Congress to pass a short-term plan with no poisoned provisions, lasting to December and the Lame Duck session.

Also last week, NEA President Becky Pringle spoke on two panels at the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference. She discussed private school vouchers and the school-to-prison pipeline with members of Congress, parents, and activists.

In solidarity,