The common adverbial phrase first and foremost is usually redundant. It could almost always be shortened to just first with no loss of meaning.
First and foremost do have slightly different connotations; foremost often means best or leading, and first usually does not have these meanings. So first and foremost is justifiable when the thing being described is both first in time or place and ahead of all others in quality or rank. But the phrase is rarely used this way. It’s usually just wordy for first.
Example
In the following examples, first and foremost is unnecessarily wordy:
Hillary Clinton … is first and foremost a mother to only daughter Chelsea Clinton. [Babble]
Perhaps first and foremost, the public servant of the future will be a relationship manager, able to build and co-ordinate complex partnerships. [Globe and Mail]
Tony Romo? No chance. Tony needs to yell at himself, first and foremost. [Merced Sun-Star]
Rightly so, as a military officer on the ticket symbolizes the first and foremost job of a president: to lead the armed forces. [The Hill]
In most such cases, first or foremost on its own would convey the same meaning. And there are other alternatives to first and foremost worth considering, such as primarily and most importantly.
