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Twenty Republicans have joined Democrats to pass President Donald Trump’s top ban on major federal unions on Thursday.
This Bill was led by rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, voted against his measure by filing a waiver request. It is designed to force a vote on legislation over the wishes of the given leadership and it has the support of most of the lawmakers of the house.
The bill, called the Virete Arkerforce Act, is intended to be repealed by an executive order in March 2025 by Trump.
The final vote passed 231 to 195, with all of the “No” votes coming from Republicans.
6 House Democrats explain the break with the party to close the mouth
President Donald Trump speaks at the 2025 U.S. Marine Corps Joint Chiefs of Staff at QuantCo Base, VA. (Evan vucci / ap photo)
Trump’s order bans unionized unions in the form of Government Agenciesincluding parts of the departments of defense, state, veterans affairs, justice and energy.
It also affected employees e Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), treasury, health and human services (HHS), interior and agriculture.
During debate on the bill Thursday afternoon, House committee chairman James Comer, r-KY.
“It is important to remember that public sector unions are fundamentally different from their private sector counterparts,” it added. “In fact, none other than Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the great champion of independent trade unions, believed that the documents of civil society did not make sense.”
“In the private sector, unions represent workers and sit at the bargaining table with representatives of business owners. However, sovereign unions do not negotiate with an organization elected by profit.”
Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, said, “Union bosses like this law for one reason, and that’s because it protects their accountability, and gives them the veto power of a duly elected President who runs the Federal Bureaucracy.”
Rep. Jared Golden, D-maine, attends a news conference at the Capitol Center visitor center in Washington, July 17, 2025. (Tom Williams / CQ-Roll call, Inc Via Images)
House Minority Leader Heffries Jeffries, Dn.y., argued, “collective bargaining is essentially freedom to discuss the nature of the best work.”
“I am grateful for this bipartisan effort to restore collective bargaining rights to the more than one million public employees who are part of our federal government,” Jeffries said.
Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-PA.
Rep. Mike Lawler, RN.Y., also appeared on the floor of the house to discuss the Bill, “These public servants are good for the whole country, and that includes the people who keep our government running and open.”
Petitions have not been very successful in the House but have been used repeatedly this year as Republicans square off on a razor-thin line.
58 House dems voted against the resolution honoring the ‘life and legacy’ of Charlie Kirk
In the case of Golden, five Republicans have signed the petition and 213 Democrats – reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Neb., Taxman and Nick.
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Voting to advance the Bill Won Support from 13 Republicans Wednesday night, putting it on the Thursday Vote.
That number grew early Thursday afternoon in other planning votes to set the final passage, with 22 Republicans voting to push the bill to its final conclusion.
To pass, however, the measure would still need to be successfully passed in the Senate and signed into law by Trump.
