AILSA CHANG, HOST:
It's been a big week for House Republicans. Nearly all of them voted to force a release of the Epstein files after President Trump reversed his position. But even before that vote, a handful of Republicans signaled a willingness to take on the president over a different contentious issue. NPR's Andrea Hsu explains.
ANDREA HSU, BYLINE: Back in late March, President Trump signed an executive order directing around 20 federal agencies to end collective bargaining rights for most federal workers, citing national security concerns. The move outraged the unions.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
EVERETT KELLEY: This isn't about safety or security.
HSU: Everett Kelley 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)
KELLEY: It's about silencing workers who are courageously standing up to this nonintegrity, to his nonaccountability in the government.
HSU: The White House explained that unions have been obstructing agency management, and said that's dangerous in agencies with national security responsibilities. According to Trump, that includes the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Environmental Protection Agency. Later, he added NASA and the National Weather Service. Since January, the American Federation of Government Employees has been hostile to Trump's agenda. It's filed lawsuits to block mass layoffs, the dismantling of agencies and, yes, the termination of its union contracts.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KELLEY: This executive order is plainly retaliatory. The executive order says plainly that they are taking this action because AFGE is standing up for our members.
HSU: And here's where House lawmakers come in. Democrat Jared Golden of Maine introduced a bill.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JARED GOLDEN: The Protect America's Workforce Act, which would overturn President Trump's executive order.
HSU: It would also restore any collective bargaining agreements canceled since March. Within days, the bill had gained enough Republican co-sponsors to pass in the House, but getting it to a vote was another matter. Leadership wasn't on board. So Golden turned to the same procedural tactic House lawmakers used to force a vote on the Epstein files - the discharge petition. Two hundred eighteen signatures guarantees a vote. Golden spoke at a press conference in July.
(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)
GOLDEN: If every member who signed on to this bill would join us, we could overturn this union-busting action and show America that this body will protect workers' rights, no matter what.
HSU: And this week, Golden got to 218 with Republicans Nick LaLota and Michael Lawler of New York signing the petition on Monday. In a statement posted to his website, Lawler wrote, supporting workers and ensuring good government are not opposing ideas. Now, a date for the House vote has not yet been set, and if the bill passes, it would move on to the Senate, where it's far less clear there are enough Republicans willing to defy the president. Andrea Hsu, NPR News, Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
