[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 107 (Thursday, June 23, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H5828-H5829]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     WE MUST REPEAL THE WEP AND GPO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Ruiz) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of older Americans in 
my district to call for the repeal of the windfall elimination 
provision and the government pension offset.
  For far too long, the WEP and GPO provisions have wrongfully 
penalized our Nation's public servants who have paid into Social 
Security by working second or even third jobs. That means that public 
servants in my district, like Fran, a retired schoolteacher from San 
Jacinto, are seeing their Social Security cut because of bureaucratic 
red tape. She wrote to me and told me that her Social Security benefits 
have been reduced by $500 per month. Fran deserves better.
  Our Nation's retired teachers, police officers, and firefighters 
deserve better, too. After a lifetime of hard work and paying into 
Social Security, there is no justification for them to miss out on 
their earned income in their golden years. We have an obligation, a 
responsibility, to take care of them and ensure they receive the 
benefits that they have earned through years of hard work.
  We must pass the Social Security 2100 Act to finally eliminate the 
WEP and GPO provisions, strengthen Social Security, and give our 
Nation's seniors a much-needed increase in benefits. This repeal is 
long overdue. Our seniors cannot afford to wait any longer for the 
fairness, relief, and peace of mind that they deserve.


           In Support of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act

  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, 
I rise today to call on the Senate to stand with our Nation's 
farmworkers and pass H.R. 1603, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, 
immediately.
  Yesterday, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus brought together over 20

[[Page H5829]]

key national and regional organizations that advocate for farmworkers 
who, despite carrying the burden of injuries and illnesses during the 
pandemic, kept our country fed.
  We discussed injustices that our campesinos face when it comes to 
healthcare, education, housing, workers' rights, and immigration. 
Together, we are working together to craft meaningful solutions to 
these challenges that will help our Nation's farmworker communities 
thrive.
  An immediate solution is for the Senate to pass the bipartisan Farm 
Workforce Modernization Act that the House has passed. We need 10 
Republican Senators to agree and pass the Farm Workforce Modernization 
Act out of the Senate to make this much-needed legislation into law.
  Right now, from vineyards in California to fields in the Midwest and 
ranches in the South, growers are concerned about an unstable workforce 
and a labor shortage. Many farmworkers toil in the fields with 
uncertainty and fear of being deported and separated from their 
families. The COVID-19 pandemic has only heightened these concerns.
  Unfortunately, this uncertainty and these labor disruptions are 
contributing to the destabilization of our farms and to higher food 
prices across America.
  We need the Farm Workforce Modernization Act to bring certainty and 
solutions for growers, farmworkers, and their families.
  Now, more than ever, we must stabilize and modernize our farm 
workforce, keep families together, and secure a pathway to citizenship 
for our essential and vital farmworkers.
  This Congress, the CHC recognized these urgent needs and led the 
charge to get this bipartisan bill passed out of the House.
  Now, I repeat, we just need 10 Republican Senators to get on board so 
that we can pass this out of the Senate and make it law.
  To them I say, Let's get it done.
  To our Nation's farmworkers, I say, We stand with you. We fight for 
you. The CHC is doubling down. We will never stop fighting for our 
farmworker communities. We will fight ``with strength,'' ``con puno y 
fuerza,'' to ensure that their labor rights, immigration status, and 
access to education, healthcare and housing are secure.
  Together, we stand firm in our resolve and strong in our fight to 
protect farmworkers, our vital workforce, and their access to 
healthcare, education, housing rights, and citizenship.
  As the proud son of farmworkers, I stand before this body today to 
let our farmworkers know, ``Together, we can. Yes, we can.'' ``Juntos 
podemos. Si se puede.''

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