The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bipartisan bill to restore collective bargaining rights for federal employees, effectively seeking to reverse recent executive orders issued by President Donald Trump that curtailed union protections for nearly 1 million workers.
The legislation was approved in a 231-195 vote, with 20 Republicans joining Democrats in support. It marks the first time this congressional term that the House has voted to nullify an executive order issued by Trump. The measure now advances to the Senate.
Democratic Representative Jared Golden of Maine and Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania introduced the bill. In a post on the social media platform X, Golden wrote, “This is solidarity in action. I’m proud of the bipartisan coalition who passed this bill.”
Fitzpatrick also posted on X, writing, the measure “restores something fundamental: the right of public servants to be heard, respected, and represented in their workplace,” and called on the Senate to “finish the job.”
The legislation targets orders issued by Trump under authority from the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, which allows exceptions to collective bargaining for agencies with core functions related to intelligence, investigation, or national security.
In March, Trump issued an executive order ending collective bargaining with several federal departments, including State, Defense, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Health and Human Services, Treasury, Justice, and Commerce, as well as border security units within the Department of Homeland Security.
In August, Trump expanded the order to cover additional federal units, including the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, the National Weather Service, units at the Bureau of Reclamation involved with hydropower operations, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
The White House has supported the shift, stating in a document accompanying the March order that some federal unions had “declared war” on Trump’s initiatives and that he “refuses to let union obstruction interfere with his efforts to protect Americans and our national interests.”
Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, which represents nearly 15 million workers, praised the House vote on Thursday. “The Republicans and Democrats who stood with workers and voted to reverse the single largest act of union-busting in American histories,” Shuler said in a statement.
“As we turn to the Senate—where the bill already has bipartisan support—working people are calling on the politicians we elected to stand with us, even if it means standing up to the union-busting boss in the White House,” she added.
The White House and Senate Republican leadership have not commented on whether the upper chamber will bring the legislation to a vote.
