Rep. Spanberger is also working to reduce premiums in the insurance marketplace and to lower out-of-pocket costs. CIA Democrat Abigail Spanberger [Source: yahoo.com] Did they have outside help? Democratic U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger held onto her seat Tuesday evening, per the Associated Press, beating back a challenge by Yesli Vega, a Trump-endorsed county supervisor who made national headlines for her inaccurate comments on pregnancies resulting from rape. Addressing the Opioid Abuse & Addiction Epidemic Abigail and her husband Adam are parents to three daughters. Retrieved March 18, 2020. It was watching that example that led me to decide that I too wanted to step forward and run.. RM2GAEXGB - Washington, United States. In 2017, a record number of women won in local elections in Virginia, making the state one of the first to experience and reflect a wave of energy among Democrats, female voters and female candidates in the country. "As we start to see more shovels in the ground, as we start to see more cranes in the air, we can start to point to that and say, 'Hey, that's what Democrats did for you,' " she said. Copyright 2023 CQ Roll Call. Reinforcing the Importance of Diplomacy & Our Relationships with U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester speaks with Rep. Abigail Spanberger ahead of President Biden's speech during the annual House Democrats Issues Conference in Baltimore, Md. [44][45], On January 31, 2023, Spanberger was among seven Democrats to vote for H.R.497:Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, a bill which would lift COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers. She was hired by Royall & Company (now EAB). Abigail Spanberger, a congressional candidate, had a 12-year career with the CIA. The "Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act" Would Allow Flavored and Unflavored Whole Milk in Participating Schools WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger helped reintroduce a bipartisan bill to allow unflavored and flavored whole milk to be offered in Virginia's school cafeterias. [51] In November 2020, Spanberger led a bipartisan effort to secure the 340B Drug Pricing Program against changes that would lead to significant increases in prescription medication costs. She argued that Democrats should watch Republican ads before deciding how to talk about issues and "not ever use the word 'socialist' or 'socialism' ever again". She had briefly worked for the USPS on an inspection team, investigating narcotics and money laundering cases. Spanberger has said she thinks the Democratic Party needs new leaders and that she would not back Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-California, as the next Speaker of the House if Democrats won the majority. She rejects talk of a deep state and called on other lawmakers not to promote conspiracy theories about intelligence or the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. [6] In the early 2000s, she was a postal inspector, working on money laundering and narcotics cases. Spanberger's background in intelligence and her moderate politics representing a swing district south and west of Washington will be assets on the committee, Goss and Hurd said. Democrat Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) announced she will run for reelection in Virginia's new seventh congressional district which she currently represents after the redistricting maps were unanimously approved, putting her current residence outside the new lines. [2], Spanberger defeated Republican incumbent Dave Brat in 2018, ending the Republican Party's 36-year hold on the district. Here are 4 things they say about the economy, Coming up on Connections: Friday, March 3, 2023, Ukraine is dominating the election in Estonia, a key NATO ally. @RepSpanberger" Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, who's being targeted by the GOP as she runs for re-election in a competitive district, spotlights her efforts to lower gas prices. She's running unopposed in her party for a third term, and there will be no. Posted December 6, 2022 at 5:16pm. Spanberger, 43, is part of a small group of former intelligence officers to have been elected to Congress. During a recent debate, Brat repeatedly accused Spanberger of being a Nancy Pelosi-style Democrat and too liberal for the district. Former long-shot Trump challenger and one-time Republican congressman Joe Walsh announced on Twitter Tuesday he voted for a Democrat for the first time for president, casting his ballot for Joe Biden. [2] Spanberger was later a page for U.S. You have permission to edit this article. The House has this really kinetic, fast pace, Jones said in an interview this week, after rushing back to the office. The daughter of a nurse and a federal law enforcement officer who also served in the Army, she says she was drawn to national service and the idea of learning new languages and cultures. Part of that unity is aimed at opposing what members call "an extreme Republican agenda." [43] She voted for a bill that included funding for border infrastructure, technology at ports of entry and more customs and border patrol agents. She favors requiring background checks on private gun sales and supported a ban on bump stocks. Expanding Access to Affordable Healthcare Coverage But I have never had this much fun on the Hill as Im having now., The Source for news on Capitol Hill since 1955. Spanberger was a postal inspector before joining the CIA in 2006. [2], Spanberger earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration from a joint program between the GISMA Business School in Germany and Purdue University's Krannert School of Management. The two also sparred over issues like the recent Republican tax reform law. And we're making that connection to your precious tax dollars, hard at work making a difference in your life. Lyndon B. Johnson once had this to say about Gerald Ford: Gerry Ford is so dumb he can't fart and chew gum at the same time. Ford was a congressional leader while Johnson was president. Abigail Spanberger has always served her country and community. She applied for a job with the CIA and had a confidential offer by 2002. Spanbergers blue and white yard signs have a single, small star a subtle reference to her work in the agency but apart from that she actually does not reference her work much when campaigning, though she does emphasis service, honor, and American values in her speeches. The security clearance form listed another one of Spanbergers former jobs as a substitute English teacher at a Saudi Arabia embassy school. She'll know how to fix things., You could fill a book with the eyebrow-raising Bush-isms of President George W. Bush. He told voters in 1992: ''You cannot be president of the United States if you don't have faith. She supports maintaining federal funding to Planned Parenthood and other providers that provide essential healthcare screenings and preventive services to both women and men. Quick action is needed, and the White House must take decisive action. Following her love of country, public service, and languages, Abigail joined the CIA as a case officer. Virginia Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger told CNN Friday morning that she spoke with Klain twice in the last two days to discuss the shortage, saying that Klain told her the White House views . Chief of Staff - USDA-RMA. Not a lot of people would do that, Jones said. [50], As of June 2022, Spanberger had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time. 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"This is news to me and I'm very disappointed," said Del. Subscribe to receive news alerts and updates on issues important to you and your family. I know the . Like others with access to America's top secrets, she will be called on to review intelligence matters in private and explain what she can to fellow lawmakers and the public. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., arrives as Democrats hold elections for their new leadership for the next Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Nov. 30, 2022. Jones doesnt take them lightly. Shes spoken to too many families who have lost loved ones to addiction and overdose. [54][55], Spanberger has called climate change "one of the greatest and most imminent threats to our economy, our national security, and our way of life" and promised to "stand up to attacks against science. Biden ticked through a list of legislative accomplishments, including the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, the first major gun safety legislation passed by Congress in nearly 30 years, legislation to boost the domestic manufacturing of semiconductor chips and a sweeping climate, health care and tax bill. The reality is other countries perceive that and they perceive that in a way that can't be good, she said. The Virginia mother of three told Good Morning America during a sit-down interview in her kitchen this summer that she always had a desire to serve her country, an interest in government, and a love of languages. Even so, Jones father went on to serve in the Marines during the Vietnam War. [11], In July 2017, Spanberger announced her candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in Virginia's 7th congressional district in the 2018 election against incumbent Republican Dave Brat, a Tea Party movement member. In the past week, LegiStorm added: To see staff salaries for aides in the personal office of Rep. Abigail Spanberger, select a time period below. That language added to a bipartisan background check bill may have angered some progressives and dismayed party leadership, but Jones said hes always thinking of whats right for Spanbergers 7th District, which cuts a long vertical path through central Virginia, west of Richmond.