Jan's Plans & Pans - January 10, 2025

Dear John xxxxxx,

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a joyful and restful holiday season. This week, I was back in Washington for the start of the 119th Congress. It is the honor of a lifetime to be your voice in Congress, and I am looking forward to continuing the fight on behalf of everyday Americans.

Yesterday, I had the distinct honor of attending the official state funeral service for former President Jimmy Carter. President Carter was a giant and represented the best of us. A true humanitarian, his lifetime of public service made the world a better place for us all. Even after leaving the Oval Office, President Carter committed his life to empowering everyday people. Whether it be his work with Habitat for Humanity or his time teaching Sunday School, President Carter exemplified what it means to be a leader. Let’s honor his legacy by showing kindness to all people.

As we start the new year, if you have not done so already, please be sure to follow me on Instagram, X, and Facebook, where my handle is @JanSchakowsky, to keep up with my latest updates.

Have a good weekend,

Schakowsky Sworn Into 119th Congress

Heading into the 119th Congress ready to fight on behalf of the 9th Congressional District. Under the leadership of Hakeem Jeffries, House Democrats are prepared to stand strong and prioritize the needs of everyday Americans. Let’s get to work!

My district office helped a constituent obtain a travel document to visit family during an emergency:

“We want to express enormous gratitude for all the support provided by Rep. Schakowsky and her team. We were in a very complicated situation with the loss of a family member, and they gave us their help to obtain a permit to travel to support our family in such a painful moment. 

"We were in a moment of great sadness as a family, and we wanted to be close to them. We thought this was going to take a long time, but thanks to the help and concern of Rep. Schakowsky's office, it only took one week to be reunited with my family. We will be forever grateful for all the help provided.” 

Michael & Geraldine

Social Security Fairness Act

On January 5th, 2025, President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law! This bipartisan legislation eliminates the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which reduces Social Security benefits for workers who receive a public pension. The bill also repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), which reduces Social Security survivor or spousal benefits for persons whose spouse has or had a public pension. The changes to the Social Security Administration (SSA) calculations made by this legislation will apply to monthly benefits accrued in January 2024 and beyond.

I have been fighting to repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) for decades. Public employees who qualify for Social Security based on their, or a spouse’s, work history should not be penalized by having their earned benefits reduced. As a Co-Chair and Co-Founder of the House Democratic Task Force on Aging and Families, I will continue to fight for policies that support public employees and their families.

This new law involves multiple federal agencies and is a large undertaking by Social Security. Social Security is in the process of creating and implementing the new method of benefit calculation and will not be able to distribute the money owed to those impacted by this legislation until that method is finalized. As soon as this process is completed, those who are impacted by this will see an increase to their current benefits, as well as a lump sum for the retroactive benefits that are due from January 2024 until the time of implementation.

For now, it is my understanding that, as a benefit recipient, you do not need to do anything yet. It is suggested that everyone set up a SSA account on the Social Security website, SSA.gov, so that you are able to stay informed, and I will include updates in my Plans and Pans as l learn more!

Passport Renewal

Remember to check your passport validity before booking any travel plans! Current processing times for passports are: 4-6 weeks for routine and 2-3 weeks for expedited. These times are subject to change and are posted on the Dept. of State Website.  Please apply well in advance of your travel date – if your travel date is sooner than the current processing times, you may not get your passport in time for travel.

Please remember that emergency in-person appointments at the Chicago Passport Agency are intended for emergencies and availability is not guaranteed unless it is a life or death emergency! These appointments are not and have never been intended for routine renewal. If you have upcoming travel you should NOT plan on receiving an appointment at the Chicago Passport Agency. Passport renewals are intended to go through the mail. 

Did you know that many countries require your passport to be valid for several months beyond your date of travel? Depending on your destination, validity requirements can vary from 3 to 6 months beyond the date of travel! You can check the requirements for your destination on the Dept. of State Website under "International Travel" and "Country Information".

If you have planned travel and have a pending application that may not arrive on time, or if you need an emergency appointment at the Chicago Passport Agency, the Constituent Advocates in my District Office are happy to help! Please call the office at 773-506-7100, or you can open a case with my office online.