Tester Says Congress Should Play By The Same Retirement Rules As Everyone Else

Senator Jon Tester is sponsoring a bill that puts members of congress on the same timeline as most Americans when it comes to retirement. The Congressional Retirement Age Act of 2011 prevents U.S. Senators and Representatives from receiving a pension until they complete five years of congressional service and reach social security retirement age. Current law allows members of congress to begin collecting pensions from their congressional service as early as the age of 50, while most Americans working today cannot collect full social security benefits until the age of 66 or later. Tester’s bill also denies early retirement to any member of congress who otherwise meets federal early retirement requirements.  The bill will only affect current and future members.