House lawmakers have collected enough signatures to force a vote on a bill that would repeal President Trump's executive order ending collective bargaining rights for most federal workers.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
It's been a big week for House Republicans. Nearly all of them voted to force the release of Epstein's files after President Trump changed his position. But even before that vote, a handful of Republicans signaled their willingness to take on the president on another contentious issue. NPR correspondent Andrea Xu explains.
ANDREA HSU, BYLINE: Back in late March, President Trump signed an executive order directing about 20 federal agencies to eliminate collective bargaining rights for most federal employees, citing national security concerns. The move angered unions.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
EVERETT KELLY: It's not about safety.
HSU: Everett Kelly is president of the American Federation of Government Employees. They represent the lion's share of the roughly 1 million employees affected by the order.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KELLY: It's about silencing the workers who are courageously standing up to this dishonesty, his lack of accountability to the government.
HSU: The White House explained that unions are obstructing agency governance and said it is dangerous for agencies responsible for national security. This includes the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Environmental Protection Agency, Trump said. He later added NASA and the National Weather Service. Since January, the American Federation of Government Employees has been hostile to Trump's agenda. She filed lawsuits to block mass layoffs, agency dissolutions and, yes, the termination of union contracts.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KELLY: This order is clearly punitive. The order explicitly states that they are taking these actions because AFGE protects our members.
HSU: And this is where House lawmakers come in. Democrat Jared Golden of Maine introduced the bill.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JARED GOLDEN: The Protecting America's Workforce Act, which would reverse President Trump's executive order.
HSU: It would also reinstate all collective bargaining agreements that have been canceled since March. Within days, the bill had enough Republican co-sponsors to pass the House, but bringing it to a vote was another matter. Management was not on board. So Golden resorted to the same procedural tactics House lawmakers used to force a vote on Epstein's motion to dismiss. Two hundred and eighteen signatures guarantee the vote. Golden spoke at a press conference in July.
(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)
GOLDEN: If every member who signed this bill would join us, we could reverse this anti-union action and show America that this body will protect workers' rights, no matter what.
HSU: And Golden got 218 votes this week, with Republicans Nick LaLota and Michael Lawler of New York signing the petition on Monday. In a statement posted on his website, Lawler wrote that supporting workers and ensuring good government are not conflicting ideas. Currently, no date has been set for a House vote, and if the bill passes, it will move to the Senate, where it is much less clear that there are enough Republicans willing to challenge the president. Andrea Xu, NPR News, Washington.
© 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of Use And permissions pages in www.npr.org for more information.
The accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript may be modified to correct errors or accommodate audio updates. Audio on npr.org may be edited after it is originally broadcast or published. The authoritative recording of NPR programs is the audio recording.
