National police group recognizes Spanberger for Social Security reforms

Spanberger and former Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., both received the award from the FOP at its national conference in Miami Beach because of their work together to pass the Social Security Fairness Act in the waning days of the last Congress in December. That also was the last of her three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Virginians already have received almost $310 million in retroactive payments under the law, as well as the full monthly benefits due to them, her office said last week.

The law reversed two 40-year-old provisions that had reduced retirement benefits for former public servants — local police and firefighters, state and federal employees — and their spouses for work in jobs covered by Social Security instead of public pensions. The changes benefited more than 55,000 retirees in Virginia.

Spanberger, who accepted the award in Miami Beach, said in a statement, “Law enforcement officers who work every day to keep our communities safe deserve every dollar they’ve earned through their service.”

“I was honored to lead the charge to bring Democrats and Republicans together to finally put an end to this theft and deliver the earned benefits these heroes have long deserved,” she said.

Changing the law was the top priority last year for the FOP, an influential national and state law enforcement organization, as it tried to push a bipartisan agreement in the Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate.

“We knew that success depended on one critical factor — we had to make this a bipartisan mission,” said Patrick Yoes, president of the National Fraternal Order of Police.

“We had to rise above the political theater that dominates Washington, D.C. That journey would have never been possible without the courage and conviction of two leaders in the United States House of Representatives — two champions who refused to let an injustice continue.”

Spanberger and Graves succeeded in bypassing the House Ways and Means Committee with a discharge petition signed by more than two-thirds of the representatives to bring the legislation directly to the House floor. The House approved the legislation in a 327-75 vote. It then passed the Senate on Dec. 21 by a 76-20 count in the final hours of the expiring Congress.

Then-President Joe Biden, upon signing the bill on Jan. 5, said the new law would boost retirement benefits for affected public employees by an average of $360 a week and deliver retirees a lump-sum payment to make up for the money they should have received in 2024. Nationally, Social Security has made $17 billion in retroactive payments since the legislation became law.

While Spanberger received the award for her work in Congress, she also is trying to use it to her advantage in her campaign for governor against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee.

“As a member of Congress, I was also proud to support our law enforcement by making sure local officers had the tools, training, resources, and funding they need to do their jobs, keep Virginians safe, and return home to their families at the end of the day,” she said in her statement. “As governor, I will continue standing up for Virginia’s men and women in uniform as we work to put our Commonwealth’s security first.”

Earle-Sears’ campaign could not immediately be reached for comment.