House votes to nullify Trump order and restore bargaining rights for
federal workers
[December 12, 2025]
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly two dozen House Republicans joined Democrats
Thursday to pass a bill that would restore collective bargaining rights
for hundreds of thousands of federal employees, an attempt to overturn
an executive order that President Donald Trump issued earlier this year.
The measure passed 231-195 after reaching the floor through a bipartisan
maneuver that bypassed GOP leadership — a so-called “discharge” tactic
that is being used with growing frequency as Republicans seethe over
dysfunction in the chamber. The bill still needs Senate approval to
become law, but 20 Republicans sided with Democrats in a rare break from
the president.
The executive order that Trump 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 authority to revoke
the rights under a 1978 law.
“Reinstating these rights is not a concession — it is a commitment. A
commitment to treat federal workers with dignity, to reinforce a
resilient public service, and to honor the commitment of the men and
women who show up for the American people every single day,” GOP Rep.
Brian Fitzpatrick, a co-sponsor of the bill, said on the floor before
passage.
Trump's order targeted the union rights of roughly 600,000 of the
800,000 federal workers represented by the American Federation of
Government Employees, or AFGE, including those at the Department of
Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.
The union is challenging those moves in court, arguing they are illegal
and retaliatory. In May, an appeals court said the administration could
move forward with the executive order while the lawsuit plays out.
In a statement after Thursday's vote, the AFGE said it “extends its deep
appreciation to every member of Congress who voted for the bill.” The
group's president, Everett Kelley, called it a “seismic victory.”
The bill's approval was also praised by the AFL-CIO, the biggest labor
federation in the U.S.
“We commend the Republicans and Democrats who stood with workers and
voted to reverse the single largest act of union-busting in American
history,” said Liz Shuler, the group's president.
The bill reached the floor through a discharge petition led by
Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine. It’s a tactic that has been used
with increasingly frequency this Congress due to frustrations with GOP
leadership, including in the high-profile push to force release of the
Jeffrey Epstein files. Any lawmakers can force a vote on legislation if
their petition gains 218 signatures, a majority in the 435-member House.
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President Donald Trump speaks at Mount Airy Casino Resort, Tuesday,
Dec. 9, 2025, in Mount Pocono, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
All House Democrats who voted supported the measure to restore the
bargaining rights. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries supported
the bill, saying on the floor prior to its passage that it would
help “public servants who have been targeted viciously by the Trump
administration from the very beginning of his time in office.”
While passage in the Republican-held Senate appears unlikely, the
vote represented one of the chamber’s first formal rebukes of the
president and the flurry of executive orders he has issued during
his second term.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
Still, most of the Republicans who backed the bill still held back
from directly calling out the president. Speaking on the House floor
before voting in favor of the bill, New York Republican Rep. Mike
Lawler said that “earlier this year, an executive order changed the
collective bargaining status.”
“Every American deserves a voice in the workplace, and that includes
the people who keep our government running and open,” said Lawler.
Of the 20 Republicans who backed the bill, many, including
Fitzpatrick, face tough reelections next year. It comes at a time
when some Republicans, following Trump's lead, have become more
supportive of labor unions, long a key part of the Democratic
Party's coalition.
New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who switched parties in Trump's first
term, was among the Republicans to support the bill, but told
reporters prior to the vote that he wasn't trying to send a message
to the president with his vote.
“No message here at all,” said Van Drew. “This is a New Jersey
message. I got to take care of my people. And I’ve always been
supportive of unions.”
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