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    • Will House succeed in extending some Social Security benefits?
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    Will House succeed in extending some Social Security benefits?

    Online Niel Posted on

    Associated Press
    | Associated Press

    Washington — The House is expected to try next week to pass a Social Security-related bill to provide benefits to workers who are also eligible for other pensions, despite a surprise move by right-wing Freedom Caucus leaders to derail the effort.

    It’s a quick turnaround to salvage what was a bipartisan effort to pass the bill in what is now Congress’ post-election period.

    What does the bill do?

    The measure that would repeal the so-called “government pension offset” has gained support in the House — 300 stalwart lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have signed it.

    The bill’s summary says government pension offsets “in various situations reduce Social Security benefits for spouses, widowers, and widowers who also receive government pensions of their own.”

    The bill would repeal that provision and fully restore Social Security benefits.

    How has the bill progressed?

    To force the legislation forward, the bill’s sponsors, Republican Representative Garrett Graves of Louisiana and Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, used a rarely successful process called a discharge petition.

    They collected at least 218 signatures needed from House lawmakers to get the bill out of committee and send it to a vote.

    The move is often seen as an affront to House leaders, particularly the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader who sets the agenda.

    But Spanberger and Graves — who both did not seek re-election — had little to lose. Additionally, Johnson supported the bill before becoming speaker.

    How did the Tories block it?

    Two leaders of the conservative House Freedom Caucus intervened when the rest of Congress was away from Capitol Hill, mostly in their home states for Election Day.

    Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., and former Rep. Rep. Bob Goode, R-Va., used a routine pro forma session of the House on Tuesday to quickly file part of the measure.

    The Freedom Caucus tends to block new spending. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill would add about $196 billion to the federal deficit over a decade.

    Graves said that’s the amount people lose without fully restoring Social Security benefits.

    What happens next?

    In tabling the legislation, the Conservatives effectively overturned the procedural rule, but not the bill itself.

    The legislation is expected to move forward with a vote in the House anyway, possibly as soon as next week.

    That said, passage will now be tougher, requiring a supermajority threshold rather than a simple majority as had been planned under the rule Freedom Caucus leaders reversed.

    Who would benefit if the bill passes?

    The brief says the legislation, if approved, would repeal provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for people who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government.

    It says the bill also eliminates the so-called “carry-out provision” that “in some cases reduces Social Security benefits for people who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that has not withheld social security taxes”.

    If it passes the House, it is unclear whether the bill has enough support to clear the Senate. But the wide margin in Parliament indicates broad potential support.

    Then it will go to President Joe Biden’s office. If signed into law, the summary says the changes are effective for benefits payable after December 2023.

    Online Niel
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