The popular measure gives full benefits to millions of people who currently receive them at a reduced level. Critics warn the $196 billion cost will speed up the program’s insolvency. Listen to this article · 6:12 min Learn more Share full article The measure passed with lopsided votes in both houses of Congress.Credit...Kenny Holston/The New York Times Maya C. Miller By Maya C. Miller Reporting from the Capitol Dec. 21, 2024 Updated 1:55 a.m. ET The Senate passed bipartisan legislation early Saturday that would give full Social Security benefits to a group of public sector retirees who currently receive them at a reduced level, sending the bill to President Biden. The vote to clear the measure was a lopsided 76 to 20, reflecting the broad popularity of an effort to allow approximately more than 2.8 million public pension recipients — some of them teachers, firefighters and police officers — to collect Social Security benefits at the same level as other beneficiaries. The House passed the bill by a wide margin of 327 to 75 last month after a bipartisan group of lawmakers forced it to the floor, and President-elect Donald J. Trump recently threw his support behind it. The rapid and resounding approval of the measure, which would cost nearly $196 billion over a decade, was notable at a time when Congress is in a protracted dispute over spending and debt, with Republicans promising huge cuts and members of both parties routinely lamenting the ballooning of the nation’ s Our Coverage of Congress Here’s the latest news and analysis from Capitol Hill. Spending Bill: Speaker Mike Johnson was toiling to find a way out of a shutdown after President-elect Donald Trump torpedoed a bipartisan spending deal, leaving Republicans without a strategy to fund the government. Defense Bill: The Senate gave final approval to a defense policy bill directing $895 billion toward the Pentagon and other military programs that would deny transgender health coverage to minors. New Judges: The Senate backed a bipartisan bill to add dozens of judges, but the House held off on voting until after Election Day. Now the bill’s chances of becoming law look slim, with President Biden threatening to veto it. Gaetz Report: The House Ethics Committee secretly voted to release a report into the conduct of former Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida. It is an abrupt turnabout for the panel, which had previously declined to release the report. Calls to Investigate Cheney: House Republicans said former Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming should face a criminal investigation for her role on the select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol attack