A leader in national defense and global security, Kay Granger serves and fights for the 12th congressional district of Texas, which includes Wise County, Parker County, and the western half of Tarrant County. Since making history in 1997 as the first Republican woman to represent Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives, Granger has earned her reputation in Congress as an influential conservative leader.
In 2020, Granger was re-elected by her colleagues to serve as the Ranking Member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee in the 117th Congress. As the Committee’s Lead Republican since 2019, Granger advocates for Republican priorities and fiscal responsibility – while working closely with House leadership, the Senate, and the White House to ensure that the needs of the American people are properly met and funded.
In Social Security, we’ve made an important promise to America’s seniors that I am committed to uphold. We must protect and secure Social Security for generations to come.
With a population that is living longer, Social Security’s solvency has become a more pressing issue. According to the Social Security Board of Trustees, the Social Security trust fund will begin to decline in 2021, and by 2033, Social Security will only be able to pay 75 percent of its promised benefits.
While any changes in the way Social Security operates must be approached with extreme caution, the current system is unsustainable over the long-run and requires reforms to ensure Social Security remains solvent for tomorrow’s retirees.
Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)
Many teachers and other public servants in Texas fail to receive the Social Security benefits they are entitled to because of Social Security’s Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). These formulas result in an unfair and arbitrary reduction in benefits for those who work in a job that has a Social Security substitute, such as state public pensions. These programs can also impact the spouses of public servants and teachers.
As a former teacher and the daughter of an educator, I personally understand this problem. During my time in Congress, I am proud to have co-sponsored numerous bills to eliminate the GPO and WEP formulas and I promise to continue to support efforts to change the current law so hard-working Texans are not unfairly penalized.