House votes to nullify Trump order and restore bargaining rights for federal workers
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly two dozen House Republicans joined Democrats on Thursday to pass a bill that would restore collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal workers. executive order President Donald Trump released it earlier this year.
The measure passed 231-195 after reaching the floor in a bipartisan maneuver that bypassed GOP leadership — a so-called “demobilization” tactic used with increasing frequency among Republicans bubble Extreme dysfunction in the room. The bill still requires Senate approval to become law, but 20 Republicans, in a rare departure from the president, sided with Democrats.
Trump’s executive order, issued in March, aimed to end collective bargaining for employees of agencies with national security missions across the federal government. He said he had the power to revoke rights under a 1978 law.
GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a co-sponsor of the bill, said on the floor before the bill was passed: “Restoring these rights is not a concession, it is a commitment. A commitment to treat federal workers with dignity, to strengthen a resilient civil service, and to honor the commitments of the men and women who appear before the American people every day.”
Trump’s order targeted the union rights of approximately 600,000 of the 800,000 federal workers represented by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). Department of Veterans Affairs And Department of Defense.
The union is challenging the moves in court, arguing they are illegal and retaliatory. In May, an appeals court ruled that the administration can progress by executive order while the case is pending.
In a statement following Thursday’s vote, AFGE said it “expresses its deep appreciation to every member of Congress who voted for the bill.” Everett Kelley, the group’s president, called it a “seismic victory.”
The approval of the bill was also praised by the AFL-CIO, the largest labor federation in the USA.
“We appreciate Republicans and Democrats who stood with workers and voted to reverse the largest union busting in American history,” said Liz Shuler, the group’s president.
The bill was introduced through a habeas petition led by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine. It’s a tactic used increasingly frequently in this Congress due to frustrations with GOP leadership, including the high-profile forced release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Any legislator can force a vote on the legislation if their petition receives 218 signatures, a majority in the 435-member House of Representatives.
All House Democrats who voted supported the measure to restore bargaining rights. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries supported the bill, saying on the floor before its passage that it would help “public officials who have been brutally targeted by the Trump administration since the beginning of his time in office.”
While passage in the Republican-controlled Senate appears unlikely, the vote represented one of the chamber’s first formal rebukes of the president and executive orders he issued during his second term.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Still, most Republicans who supported the bill were hesitant to address the president directly. Speaking in the House before voting in favor of the bill, New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler said “an executive order earlier this year changed collective bargaining status.”
“Every American deserves to have a voice in the workplace, and that includes the people who keep our government functioning and open,” Lawler said.
Of the 20 Republicans who support the bill, many, including Fitzpatrick, face a tough re-election next year. Some Republicans Following Trump’s leadhas become more supportive of labor unions, which have long been an important part of the Democratic Party coalition.
New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who switched parties during Trump’s first term, was among the Republicans who supported the bill, but told reporters before the vote that he was not trying to send a message to the president with his votes.
“There’s no message here,” Van Drew said. “That’s a New Jersey message. I need to take care of my people. And I’ve always supported unions.”
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