The House on Wednesday took a stand in favor of federal employee unions after 13 Republicans joined Democrats in a bid to set aside an executive order from President Donald Trump.
The House voted 222-200 on a motion to advance legislation overturning the March order that said some federal workers were excluded from collective bargaining, according to Newsweek.
Republican Reps. Jeff Van Drew, Thomas Kean, and Chris Smith of New Jersey, Nicole Malliotakis, Nick LaLota, and Mike Lawler of New York, Brian Fitzpatrick, Rob Bresnahan, and Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania, Don Bacon, of Nebraska, Zach Nunn of Iowa, Pete Stauber of Minnesota and Mike Turner of Ohio supported moving forward with the bill, according to Fox News.
The vote came about after Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine forced the vote through the use of a discharge petition, which allows a vote even if House leaders do not want to bring the motion before the full House, Newsweek noted.
Discharge petitions require a majority of the House’s members to move forward to a vote.
By way of context, Fox noted that “most of the Republicans who backed Golden’s measure are expected to either face at least somewhat tough re-election bids or have districts located in blue states where bipartisanship is expected on certain key issues.”
Trump’s executive order covered parts of multiple agencies, including the Departments of Defense, State, Veterans Affairs, Justice, and Energy, as well as some workers in departments such as Homeland Security, Treasury, HHS, Interior, and Agriculture.
An estimated 1 million federal workers were covered by the order.
The Wednesday vote was a procedural one. The full House must still pass the legislation to rescind Trump’s order.
After the House acts, the legislation must go to the Senate for approval.
If the Senate approves the proposal, it then goes to the White House, where Trump can approve or veto the measure.
If Trump vetoes that legislation, it can be overridden by a two-thirds majority of each house of Congress.
“Today’s vote is a reminder of what this House can accomplish when we honor its purpose and allow the people’s will to move forward. A bipartisan majority affirmed that protecting America’s security and respecting America’s workers are not competing priorities — they are inseparable,” Fitzpatrick said in supporting the bill.
“Federal workers, many of whom are veterans, are the backbone of our public service. When they have a voice in the decisions that shape their work, our government is more stable, more capable, and better prepared to serve the American people,” he said.
“I’m proud to work alongside Congressman Golden in leading this bipartisan effort. Tomorrow, let’s carry this unity across the finish line, and restore the rights that keep our federal workforce — and the nation they serve — strong,” he said.
The March executive order targeted by Golden said that the units of the federal government covered by it had as their “primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work.”
Trump advanced “national security requirements and considerations” as the reason for a subsequent executive order expanding the units of the federal government that would not be covered by collective bargaining.
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