WASHINGTON — The nation’s largest firefighters union — one of the Democrats’ most reliable sources of campaign money — announced today that it would quit donating to federal candidates this year because members of Congress aren’t sufficiently backing them in their fight against anti-union measures around the country.

International Association of Firefighters President Harold Schaitberger said there is a more urgent need to spend money defending the anti-union measures sweeping GOP-controlled statehouses.

“These state battles are devastating to our members’ future,” Schaitberger said. “You would think that we would have our friends in Congress stepping up and stepping out and leading and be willing to fight for us. But right now, we don’t feel they have our back.”