Social Security Offsets . . . Update

Presidential Candidate Obama Supports Repeal of Social Security Penalties for Teachers

In a letter to NEA, Presidential candidate Barack Obama expressed his support for repealing the GPO/WEP Social Security Offsets for teachers. The threat of presidential veto has contributed to keeping this issue on the back burner in Congress for years. Now, a presidential candidate has finally spoken out on this important issue for teachers in Missouri and many other states.

The following is part of a October news release from NEA.

RE: Obama Expresses Clear Support for Repeal of Social Security Offsets!!

In an October 22 letter, Senator Obama expressed his clear support for repeal of the Government Pension Offset and Windfall EliminationProvision. As you know, these two offsets unfairly impact tens of thousands of educators. Repeal of the GPO and WEP is a very important issue for many NEA members and a top priority for the Association.

In his letter directed specifically to NEA members, Senator Obama states,

"Nobody should be penalized for serving our children, and that's why I support repealing the GPO/WEP and will work to do so as President...the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset have a serious detrimental impact on hundreds of thousands of educators and your spouses. That's why as a Senator I co-sponsored the Social Security Fairness Act, which would repeal these provisions....I believe that we have a responsibility to take care of workers who have devoted their lives to public service and that we shouldn't discourage young people from working in these essential jobs at a time when so many teachers are at or near retirement age and we're struggling to replace them."

The letter also states, "I will work to repeal GPO and WEP, but I won't stop there. We need to think now about how we provide retirement security for today's retirees and workers retiring 20 or 30 or more years down the road. Let me tell you about my comprehensive plan. It starts with protecting Social Security. It is one of the most successful social programs in American history, and we need to preserve and maintain it, without risky privatization plans....Improving retirement security for educators...will be a high priority for me as President."

The letter concludes with, "I greatly appreciate the support I have from the NEA, and I look forward to working with you as President to create the changes we all want to see in our country."