A bill that would expand Social Security benefits for nearly three million recipients has received bipartisan support, allowing it to be pushed through to the next stage of the legislative process.
On Thursday, lawmakers successfully used a discharge petition—a method of taking a bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration without a report from the committee—to advance the Social Security Fairness Act, which would eliminate loopholes that deny payments being made to retirees who receive certain government pensions or other types of benefits.
The petition was filed by Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Garret Graves and received a total of 218 signatures—47 Republicans and 171 Democrats. It means that after seven legislative days, Graves and Spanberger will be able to request that Speaker Mike Johnson schedule a floor vote.
“Today is a major milestone made possible by tireless advocates who’ve made clear that Congress must act,” Spanberger and Graves said in a joint statement.
It …