Five House Republicans signed a discharge petition on Monday, successfully triggering a floor vote on legislation to overturn a key executive order from President Donald Trump that stripped unionization rights from thousands of federal employees.
The action represents a notable public defiance of the President and effectively bypasses House Speaker Mike Johnson, who had resisted calls from Democrats to bring the measure to the floor. The successful petition secures a vote on the bill, which aims to restore collective bargaining rights to nearly one million federal workers.
The procedural mechanism, known as a discharge petition, allows a bill to be brought directly to the House floor for a vote if it garners a simple majority of 218 signatures. With the signatures of five moderate Republicans, the petition achieved that milestone on Monday.
The Republicans who crossed the aisle to sign the petition are:
- Mike Lawler (NY)
- Nick LaLota (NY)
- Brian Fitzpatrick (PA)
- Rob Bresnahan (PA)
- Don Bacon (NE)
The effort was led by Maine Democratic Representative Jared Golden, who sponsored the legislation to repeal President Trump’s March 27 executive order.
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“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,” Golden wrote on social media, describing the Trump order as “the single biggest act of union-busting in American history.”
Lawler: Rights Strengthen the Federal Workforce
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who represents a swing district and has previously secured union endorsements, celebrated his final signature on the petition, which he said triggered the vote.
“Restoring collective bargaining rights strengthens our federal workforce and helps deliver more effective, accountable service to the American people,” Lawler stated, defending the federal workers’ right to unionize.
The legislation would specifically roll back President Trump’s order which terminated union representation for federal employees in roles designated as “national security-related,” impacting unionized workers across 18 agencies. At the time the order was issued, the White House stated that “Certain Federal unions have declared war on President Trump’s agenda.”
Labor Leaders Back Congressional Push
The move has been strongly backed by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest federal workers’ union.
AFGE national president Everett Kelley called the effort “labor’s top priority in Congress” and stated that the bill “seeks to undo the largest loss of collective bargaining rights in U.S. history.”
This bipartisan defiance follows a similar move last week when four Republicans helped trigger a vote on releasing the Epstein files—an action the President later supported, calling for the release of all related documents.
The House is expected to vote on Golden’s legislation in the coming days.
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