Key Moments from 4-16-2024 Ways and Means Hearing on WEP & GPO
The House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee hearing on the perceived “fairness” or “unfairness” of the program’s Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset was held April 16. Throughout the two-hour session, a variety of data and viewpoints were exchanged, and for anyone interested in learning more about the controversy surrounding these two Social Security components listening to the proceedings in full would be time well spent. The full recording of the hearing can be accessed here. For those with limited time, three key points emerging during the hearing can be reviewed here.
The AMAC Foundation’s Social Security Advisory Service has been following this matter closely, essentially as part of our mission to serve members of the public who come to us with questions on the WEP & GPO issues. One of our basic positions on the matter is that to form an opinion on the “fairness” question, it is first important to understand Social Security’s basic progressive design and how this design is embodied in the calculations to determine eventual benefits. Earlier this year, our Advisory Service addressed this matter in a public webinar–click here to review the recorded version of this program.