Kevin Brady: “because in America when both spouses pay into Social Security, the formula, the way it works, is that if their husband…”

“because in America when both spouses pay into Social Security, the formula, the way it works, is that if their husband passes away, which normally happens first, she keeps all of her Social Security. Then she keeps all of his minus hers. That is the formula. For those in government pensions, like teachers, it is almost the exact same formula. They keep their retirement plus their husband's minus only /3. So I appreciate this is an issue dear to the gentleman from Texas's (Mr. Lampson) heart, but under the formula today, that teacher, that government worker already keeps more of their spouse's Social Security than the rest of America. And if we keep the loophole open, they gain nearly twice as much as the family that worked exactly the same hours, paid exactly the same money in, and whose husband died exactly at the same time. We are creating those two classes of families in America, and that is what we are trying to stop.”