A small but united group of House Republicans is breaking ranks with President Donald Trump over the issue of collective bargaining rights for federal workers.
In a rare act of defiance toward both Trump and their party’s leadership, five GOP lawmakers have signed a discharge petition aimed at overturning a Trump-era executive order that sharply curtailed union rights for thousands of federal employees.
The petition represents an attempt to force a vote on legislation that Republican leaders—particularly Speaker Mike Johnson—have been reluctant to bring to the floor. By circumventing leadership, these lawmakers are taking an unusual procedural step that signals broader tensions within the Republican conference over labor rights, government operations, and the party’s alignment with Trump.
The Republicans who signed the discharge petition are Mike Lawler and Nick LaLota of New York, Brian Fitzpatrick and Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania, and Don Bacon of Nebraska. All five represent swing districts or have cultivated reputations as moderates, making their participation especially significant.
A discharge petition requires 218 signatures, a simple majority of the House, to force a vote on a bill—something that is difficult to achieve without bipartisan cooperation.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), one of the bill’s primary sponsors, praised the movement in a post on X on Monday night.
Golden emphasized both the unusual bipartisan coalition and the stakes involved, calling the Trump administration’s directive “the single biggest act of union-busting in American history.” Golden added, “I’m proud of the bipartisan coalition I’ve built to right this wrong — including the five Republicans who signed my discharge petition to force this vote.”
The executive order at the center of the dispute was issued during Trump’s presidency as part of a broader attempt to restructure and weaken the influence of federal employee unions. The order limited official time—the hours union representatives are permitted to spend on union duties while being paid by the government—and imposed new constraints on collective bargaining. Federal labor groups have long argued that the order undermined workers’ rights and eroded their ability to advocate for safe working conditions, fair pay, and due process protections.
Rep. Mike Lawler, the final signature needed to trigger the vote, celebrated his decision publicly. Representing a competitive New York district, Lawler has often positioned himself as a pragmatic Republican willing to break with his party on issues affecting workers and government functionality. He has also benefited from several key union endorsements in past campaigns, reinforcing the political logic behind his support.
“Restoring collective bargaining rights strengthens our federal workforce and helps deliver more effective, accountable service to the American people,” Lawler wrote in his own statement on X. His remarks reflect a broader argument made by federal unions and sympathetic lawmakers: that strong labor protections not only support workers but also improve government performance.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the nation’s largest federal workers’ union who has resisted Trump’s efforts to cull the federal workforce, is backing the effort to overturn the Trump rule.
“This bill has been called labor’s top priority in Congress and for good reason – it seeks to undo the largest loss of collective bargaining rights in U.S. history,” AFGE national president Everett Kelley said in a statement.
The move highlights the shifting political landscape surrounding labor rights. While Trump maintains significant influence within the Republican Party—and has historically framed federal unions as obstacles to efficiency—some GOP lawmakers in battleground districts have strived to appeal to moderate voters, public-sector workers, and union households. Their willingness to support the discharge petition underscores an ongoing divide between pro-labor Republicans in competitive districts and the party’s more traditional anti-union leadership.
The upcoming vote forced by the petition will compel lawmakers to take a public stance on the future of federal worker unionization rights. For Democrats, the vote represents a rare opportunity to reverse a major Trump-era policy without the cooperation of House leadership.
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Another knife in the back of shrinking a bureaucracy that votes 95% Democrat
I get a message that I’ve already left this comment but I don’t see it
Another knife in the back of shrinking a bureaucracy that votes 95% Democrat
When you work fur the Government you get what it pays or go elsewhere! I couldn’t tell the Navy I wanted a raise
I couldn’t bargain with the Navy so why should they have the right. Eff em, let em quit.
Those are very foolish Repubs. They should be primaried and replaced with true conservatives. Unions have no place in persons working in the Government. We have seen in recent days the results of what power it can use forcing representative to do their bidding. Unions especially the Teachers Unions and the Government School system has made the US close to the bottom in teaching and educating our children. When we once lead.
No Union in the Federal/State workplace. If you don’t like what the Government is paying, find another job.