The Senate voted to boost Social Security benefits for nearly 3 million Americans by repealing two provisions that reduce or eliminate retirement benefits for public service workers like teachers, firefighters and police officers who receive pensions, according to a report.
The Social Security Fairness Act was passed early Saturday morning in a 76-20 vote that included all of the chamber's Democrats and 27 Republicans, the Associated Press reported.
The House passed the measure earlier this month in a 327-75 vote.
The legislation removes the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, which were added to the Social Security Act in 1983, that reduce benefits to about 2.4 million people.
It now heads to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature.
"Millions of retired teachers and firefighters and letter carriers and state and local workers have waited decades for this moment. No longer will public retirees see their hard-earned Social Security benefits robbed from them," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said.
Americans whose Social Security benefits are reduced under the provisions would see higher monthly payments, but those hikes would also add an estimated $195 billion to federal deficits over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the AP reported.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio who has fought to have the exemptions removed, said they made "no sense."
"These workers serve the public. They protect our communities. They teach our kids. They pay into Social Security just like everyone else," he said.
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