ACA Thanks Congressional Members for Their Support of H.R.82 the Social Security Fairness Act
Posted by Aca Admin on October 28, 2024
Recently, ACA thanked Congressional members for their support in signing the discharge petition that will now allow H.R.82, The Social Security Fairness Act to the House floor for vote in November. H.R.82 calls for the repeal of WEP which can adversely affect U.S. citizens overseas who are drawing from both U.S. Social Security and a foreign pension.
ACA thanks members and supporters who participated in our write-in campaign to get the signatures needed for a discharge petition for H.R.82.
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October 9, 2024 Dear Representative, American Citizens Abroad (ACA) a Washington, DC based non-profit, non-partisan, advocacy organization that represents the legislative and regulatory concerns of U.S. citizens living overseas to the U.S. Government, would like to thank you for your support of HR82, the Social Security Fairness Act. We understand that you were one of the co-signers to the discharge petition that will now allow HR82 to advance to the House floor for vote. As a supporter of the legislation, you are aware of the significant financial impact that the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) can have on individuals who are planning on benefits from their pensions in order to retire comfortably. Teachers, firefighters, police officers, state and local government officials and U.S. citizens overseas can be seriously affected by WEP. Our community of 6 million U.S. overseas of which there are hundreds of thousands of retirees, have worked in jobs overseas and contributed to pensions – many mandated by foreign governments, and are counting on these pensions and their U.S. Social Security to live securely in their old age. They face the same negative effects from WEP as their compatriots in the United States. They also mirror demographically retirees in the United States as they are no wealthier and are average, hardworking U.S. citizens who happen to have been employed overseas, many for the benefit of the U.S. economy. WEP is only one of many issues that U.S. citizens overseas must deal with when it comes to U.S. legislation, regulations, and government benefits. As well as be subjected to a reduction in their Social Security benefits because of employment overseas, these individuals are taxed twice, once by the government where they live and a second time by the United States. I recently wrote an op-ed American Expats Add to the U.S. Economy: Don't Double Tax Them | RealClearMarkets demonstrating how the system of taxing U.S. citizens based on their citizenship instead of on where income is earned is bad for U.S. citizens and for the U.S. economy. Please feel free to contact me for more information about how issues like taxation, WEP and others affects U.S. citizens living overseas and again, we thank you for your support of HR82. |