I wanted to share an opinion piece I wrote and published in the Galveston Daily News, Orange Leader, and Port Arthur News. 

For too long now—three decades—our dedicated public servants have been trapped in a one-size-fits-all approach to calculating their Social Security benefits.  Millions of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public servants are losing benefits they worked hard to earn because of an outdated, overly complex, and unfair formula used by the Social Security Administration.  That formula is known as the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).

The WEP affects 208,368 Texans—the second largest population in the country, only behind California.

The WEP was designed by Congress in 1983 to calculate benefits for workers with both Social Security-covered earnings and earnings not subject to Social Security taxes.  However, the current method does not accurately account for the entire length of a worker’s work history.  Under current law, WEP and the government pension offset (GPO) reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive a government pension based on certain employment not covered under the Social Security program.  In layman's terms, the distinction penalizes tens of thousands of Texas’ public servants, when they should receive Social Security benefits in accordance with their actual work history.

On September 5, 2023, I joined Rep. Jodey Arrington (TX-19) and several of our colleagues in Congress to introduce the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act (H.R. 5342).  This bipartisan legislation will ensure that public servants subject to the WEP will receive their fair share of Social Security benefits in retirement.  It will update Social Security’s formula in order to fully compensate our teachers, firefighters, and police officers for the time they worked in the private sector and the taxes they paid into the system.  The Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act addresses the WEP’s shortcomings by replacing it with a new formula that reflects an individual’s actual work history; creating a transition period for current workers; and providing relief to retirees subject to WEP.

We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to our public servants, who have dedicated their lives to educating our youth, safeguarding our communities, and providing essential services that keep our nation running smoothly.  It is our moral obligation to ensure that these citizens are rewarded not only during their active years of service but also in their retirement.

I am sure some of you have been watching the news about what is going on in Washington regarding federal spending. We are coming up at the end of the Fiscal Year 2023 on September 30th, which means we need a new agreement to fund the government for Fiscal Year 2024, which begins on October 1st. I have been saying it for months: we need to cut spending. Washington has gone crazy with America's credit card for too long. Last week, our national debt hit $33 billion. As you know, our Republican House has very different priorities than the Biden Administration on how much our country should spend and what we should spend it on. How we fund the government for the upcoming year is fluid and changes day by day through negotiation and meetings. I will update you on the situation as things progress. 

The U.S. Senate recently dropped its dress code requirement to appease Democratic Sen. John Fetterman. I want to know your thoughts? 

This week, Team Weber attended the Lamar University's CentennialFest Celebration, honoring 100 years of education excellence in Southeast Texas. I gave a speech on the House Floor last week to celebrate this milestone. Check it out here. Team Weber attended the Jefferson County Commissioner's Court, BayTran, and the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region Gulf Coast Industry Forum meetings. Then, they participated in the Operation Blue Remembrance Ceremony honoring Deputy John E. Hutcheson, a Deputy Sheriff shot and killed by a prisoner at the county jail on Sunday, June 28, 1925. 

Legislation cosponsored:

• H.R. 3381 - National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support and Community Outreach Act
• H.R. 4563 - American Confidence in Elections Act
• H.R. 5617 - To amend title 51, United States Code, to extend the learning period for commercial human space flight.
• H.R. 5634 - To prohibit institutions of higher education from mandating COVID-19 vaccines for students or staff.
• H.R. 2630 - Safe Step Act
• H.Res. 711 - Expressing support for the designation of an "American Patriotism Month"

It is a privilege to represent our district in Congress.  While we’ve faced many challenges in recent years, through strength and prayer, we have persevered. 

Please know that we are always a resource for you.  Call or stop by any of the offices (YOUR offices, we work for you), whenever you need assistance or want to talk about an issue before Congress.

For assistance or more information, please call or go online to visit us at weber.house.gov.

God Bless you and God Bless Texas!