Biden Signs Social Security Fairness Act

President Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law on Monday, a move that increases Social Security benefits for around 3 million retired public workers. 

The Details: The Social Security Fairness Act reduces the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) that have historically limited Social Security benefits for public workers who receive pensions from their current or past employers and their spouses who receive government retirement payments. These beneficiaries are mostly public sector employees such as teachers, firefighters, nurses, and police officers. Benefits to the affected individuals will increase, averaging $360 per month due to the WEP removal and $700 per month for the elimination of the GPO. These changes will apply retroactively to January 2024, leading to back payments for those who missed out during last year.

For Context: Critics of the bill argue that it will worsen the financial strain on Social Security, increasing the federal deficit by $196 billion over the next decade and speeding up insolvency by six months, according to the Congressional Budget Office. However, there has been strong bipartisan support for the law. Supporters say all retirees should have full access to the social security benefits they paid into for decades.

How the Media Covered It: Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) and The Daily Wire (Right bias) focused on the law's strain on Social Security's financial status. Raw Story (Left bias) emphasized bipartisan support for the law, while highlighting that some Republicans are looking to make cuts to Social Security under the Trump Administration.