In July, VPFF Endorsed Spanberger to Serve as Virginia’s Next Governor
IAFF President Edward Kelly: Spanberger’s “Service to Our Country Is Second to None, and Her Service As the Next Governor of Virginia Will Be Second to None”
ROANOKE, Va. — The Virginia Professional Fire Fighters (VPFF) — which represents more than 10,000 fire fighters, paramedics, and other emergency response workers across Virginia — today praised Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger for her leadership on behalf of Virginia’s first responders and for pushing her bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act across the finish line.
In July, VPFF endorsed Spanberger to serve as the next Governor of Virginia. At today’s event, both VPFF and representatives from the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) cited her relentless commitment to passing her bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act and securing the full benefits earned by Virginia fire fighters and other public servants. Since Spanberger’s legislation was signed into law by the President earlier this year, nearly $310 million in earned retirement benefits have been delivered to nearly 50,000 retired fire fighters, paramedics, and other public servants across Virginia.
“We’re pleased to have endorsed Abigail for her service as a federal law enforcement officer, and her record of support for fire fighters and their families. Abigail led the repeal of the WEP/GPO program that has put thousands of dollars back in the hands of retired fire fighters,” said Robert L. Bragg III, President, Virginia Professional Fire Fighters. “For her commitment to continuing to support and fight for the rights of all public safety professionals across the Commonwealth, we stand beside Abigail and fully support her to become the 75th Governor of the great Commonwealth of Virginia.”
“Abigail stood tall, arguably the tallest she stood for us was during the righteous battle to fix a decades-old wrong that was robbing the retirees of Virginia. Through her work on the Social Security Fairness Act and through her political acuity, she championed a bipartisan effort to make it a reality,” said Edward Kelly, President, International Association of Fire Fighters. “That helped tens of thousands of Virginians who paid into Social Security who served their neighbors, whether they were school teachers, librarians, DPW workers, police officers, or firefighters. She stood with us in the pouring rain and demanded that the U.S. Senate take action on that very important bill.”
Kelly continued, “Abigail has proven her willingness to sacrifice — not only the people of Virginia, but the people of the United States. Her service to our country is second to none and her service as the next Governor of Virginia will be second to none.”
In her remarks, Congresswoman Spanberger thanked Virginia’s fire fighters and first responders for their unwavering commitment to keeping Virginians safe — and their tireless, decades-long advocacy to help get her Social Security Fairness Act to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
“Thank you to every fire fighter, fire inspector, EMT, paramedic, 911 dispatcher, and dedicated public servant here this morning. Thank you for your tireless work keeping our neighbors and our communities safe,” said Spanberger. “Together, we finally put an end to this theft of earned benefits and delivered on the basic promise of respecting Virginians who have committed themselves to serving their communities. So far, this law, the Social Security Fairness Act, has delivered $310 million dollars in earned retirement benefits back to Virginians — and billions more to public servants nationwide.”
Spanberger continued, “As a Member of Congress, I worked alongside Virginia fire fighters and emergency responders to make progress on your priorities. And as Virginia’s next Governor, you can trust that I will continue to make delivering for you one of my top priorities.”
BACKGROUND
Abigail Spanberger is backed by first responders across the Commonwealth.
Last month, the Virginia Police Benevolent Association (VAPBA) — the largest police union in Virginia representing nearly 11,000 law officers — endorsed Spanberger to be the next Governor of Virginia.
The announcement marked the first time the organization endorsed a Democratic candidate for Governor since 2009. In 2021, the VAPBA endorsed the full Republican statewide ticket — including then Lieutenant Governor nominee, and current Republican Governor nominee, Winsome Earle-Sears.
Additionally, the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) — the world’s largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers — recently recognized Spanberger for her bipartisan work on behalf of Virginia’s police officers and for pushing her bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act across the finish line.
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