Bob Brooks, a Pennsylvania Democrat running for Congress, faces renewed scrutiny over 2026 social media posts criticizing volunteer firefighters. The comments emerged after he thanked volunteers for helping fight a June fire in Allentown.
Brooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association and a former Bethlehem firefighter, wrote in an April 2026 Facebook post that volunteer firefighters who are also IAFF members are "SCAB" and should be treated as such. He added he was "so tired of you two-hatter sh*tbags," using a term the union applies to part-time work seen as undermining full-time positions.
The International Association of Fire Fighters, which represents 366,000 members and endorses Brooks, holds that "two-hatting" weakens union roles. Brooks is backed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Governor Josh Shapiro, and he recently helped launch the "Blue Collar Brigade" with other Democratic candidates.
Despite the earlier posts, Brooks praised volunteer departments last week for aiding in a six-alarm fire at a former furniture factory in Allentown that began June 24 and caused one non-critical injury. The race for Pennsylvania's 7th District against incumbent Republican Ryan Mackenzie remains a toss-up.
Brooks's platform calls for higher taxes on the wealthy, stronger unions, a higher minimum wage, and codifying Roe v. Wade, while criticizing masked ICE arrests as "un-American."
