Instead of collecting their federal pensions in their forties or fifties, congressional lawmakers would have to wait until they reach the Social Security retirement age, under legislation introduced in the Senate.

 

“It’s time for members of Congress to walk in the shoes of everyday Americans,” said Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), the bill’s sponsor. “Why should members of Congress be treated differently than a steelworker, a waitress or a nurse?”

 

Normal, non-lawmaker Americans are eligible for full Social Security benefits when they reach the age of 65 (if born before 1943), 66 (if born between 1943 and 1959) or 67 (if born after 1959).

 

Representatives and senators, on the other hand, don’t have to wait so long to get their retirement benefits. Lawmakers serving 25 years or more become eligible at any age to access their pensions, while those serving 20 years can start at age 50. Anyone serving only five years in Congress can collect when they reach 62.

 

The conservative National Taxpayers Union has endorsed Brown’s bill.

 

“Not everyone realizes that the legislative branch enjoys a more generous pension package than most employees in the executive branch do, and not because of the obvious salary differential,” Pete Sepp, vice president for communications and policy, told Government Executive. “There have been very few attempts over previous decades, let alone years, to get control of the congressional pension plan, even though taxpayers find it one of the most offensive perks of office.”

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Bill Would Tie Lawmakers' Access to Retirement Benefits to Social Security Age (by Kellie Lunney, Government Executive)