Five Republicans Defy Party, Join Democrats To Roll Back Trump Rule

A few Republicans are bucking President Donald Trump on bargaining rights for federal workers.

Five House Republicans have signed a discharge petition to force a vote on overturning a Trump administration order and restoring unionization rights for thousands of federal employees. The move is a notable break with the president and effectively circumvents Speaker Mike Johnson, who has resisted calls from Democrats to bring the legislation to the House floor.

The five Republicans who signed the discharge petition include: Mike Lawler and Nick LaLota of New York, Brian Fitzpatrick and Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania and Don Bacon of Nebraska.

A discharge petition is a procedural maneuver that allows lawmakers to force a vote on legislation if the petition reaches a simple majority of 218 signatures.

“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,” Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, one of the legislation’s sponsors, wrote on X Monday evening, calling Trump’s executive order “the single biggest act of union-busting in American history.”

Lawler, a moderate Republican lawmaker who represents a swing district, celebrated being the final signature to trigger a vote on the legislation in a post on X Monday. The New York Republican has defended federal workers’ right to unionize and has previously won several key union endorsements.