The Senate voted early Saturday morning to repeal two laws that prevent many public employees from receiving Social Security, a move that is expected to weigh on the overall solvency of the Social Security system.

The repeal, a decades-long priority for public employee advocates, heads to the president for his signature after a late night Senate vote.

By Jennifer Shutt States Newsroom The U.S. Senate approved a broadly bipartisan bill early Saturday that would increase Social Security benefits for millions of Americans with pensions by ending two of the program’s policies in place for decades — the windfall elimination provision and government pension offset.

The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) reduces Social Security for those who earn “non-covered” pension income their jobs, which are typically public sector roles, that didn’t contribute Social Security payroll taxes. Those workers can lose up to half the pension amount.

The Windfall Elimination Provision reduced the Social Security benefits paid firefighters and police who received pension benefits.

Passage was a major victory for advocates who argue the deductions unfairly hurt those who collected pensions but also worked jobs covered by Social Security.

The Senate is moving to a final vote on a proposal to boost Social Security payments for millions of people, potentially pushing a longtime priority for former public employees through Congress in one

Senators approve a bill to expand Social Security benefits to millions of Americans, with President Biden expected to sign it into law.

The US Senate passed a bipartisan bill early Saturday to increase Social Security benefits for close to 3 million federal, state and local public sector workers, which includes firemen, policemen and teachers.