The Battle over Social Security 2.0 Benefits

When Biden signed Secure 2.0 in December 2024, clients who encountered WEP & GPO limits began asking themselves, “How this would affect my benefits?”

As a Registered Social Security Analyst (RSSA) and Enrolled Agent (EA), this is my perspective, and I can help you anticipate your potential benefit changes. On the positive it could of course increase your benefit amounts, theoretically – but in reality – well, that’s just the point:

How will Trump’s administration execute this legislation from Biden given that many people already getting benefits are looking at a reduction of nearly 20 cents for every dollar they are now receiving?  Within ten years reserves will be insufficient to pay 100 per cent of scheduled benefits.[i]

When WEP & GPO were enacted in 1983 . . . “These two rules (WEP/GPO) lowered payments for around 3 million pension workers and their spouses, but now that the bipartisan law has passed, Social Security payments will be higher.

As a result of the recent legislation . . .Some beneficiaries are expected to see an average monthly increase of $360 to their Social Security checks.”[ii]

Add to that, Trump campaigned for relief on taxation of Social Security Benefits. Can both initiatives be achieved? With an already overburdened Social Security Administration “SSA staff will expend substantial work time dealing with confused — and possibly upset — members of the public,”[iii]

The cost to implement is anticipated to be enormous, $196 billion as stated in Newsweek. The retroactive payments would be issued at some future point in time, after the SSA can validate a worker’s earnings history and those portions which contributed to WEP or GPO in order to revise benefits amounts.

What am I telling my clients? The dust hasn’t settled on this, and I would not recommend rushing out to make large assets purchases (don’t snag that Lamborghini just yet!). My concern is that people may purchase in advance without hard facts yet to be received from the hill.

To learn more about your Social Security retirement reach out to Erin Fountain, EA, RSSA at:

info@suncoastssadvisors.com or Contact | Suncoast Social Security Advisors

[i] (Trustees, Social Security and Medicare Boards of, 2024)

[ii] Newsweek Pub. Jan. (New Social Security Law May Face Problems Under Trump—Economist, 2025)

[iii] (New Social Security Law May Face Problems Under Trump—Economist, 2025)