RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Millions of Americans could see changes to Social Security access after the U.S. Senate voted to get rid of two provisions from the Social Security Fairness Act. The bipartisan bill aims to eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). On Saturday, Dec. 21, the legislation -- proposed by U.S. Representatives Abigail Spanberger and (D-Virginia) and Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) -- passed in the Senate after being voted through by the U.S. House last month. “These unfair provisions for decades have been frankly pushing some retirees into really difficult economic hardship in their retirement,” Spanberger said. “The effort to repeal these two provisions is something I've been proud to spearhead during my time in Congress, and we finally got it done.” Since 1983, both provisions have reduced or eliminated retirement benefits for more than 2.4 million Americans who work in public services, such as police officers, firefighters, educators and federal, state and local government employees. According to a nonpartisan 2024 report, the WEP denied earned benefits to more than 1.7 million Americans, and the GPO hurts more than 420,000 social security beneficiaries. Additionally, more than 320,000 American retirees are impacted by both the WEP and the GPO. Lawmakers said surviving spouses of public workers were unable to access benefits. Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger said the newly-passed bill changes this. “A teacher who spends their entire career teaching -- who might have a job every single summer or have jobs while they're going through school, or various points throughout their time in teaching -- that the earned benefits that they would have earned through their work, they would see that decrease,” Spanberger said. “Communities, across Virginia’s 7th District, across the Commonwealth of Virginia, who are going to be impacted and who are going to see a real difference into the future.” The next step is for the bill to go to President Joe Biden’s desk where it may then be signed into law.