President Donald Trump took decisive action Thursday by signing an executive order that ends collective bargaining for federal administrative employees. The move targets public-sector unions that conservatives often describe as benefiting government workers at taxpayer expense.
The executive order revokes collective bargaining rights for workers in multiple critical federal agencies such as the Departments of Defense, State, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, and agencies focused on border security and immigration.
Trump’s administration utilized the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, which provides the president authority to end union bargaining within federal agencies with national security responsibilities. Administration officials argue collective bargaining interferes with effective management.
The order immediately drew fierce criticism from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), whose President Everett Kelley pledged swift legal action against what he characterized as retaliation for union opposition to Trump’s previous workforce policies.
Anticipating opposition, the Justice Department promptly filed suit in Texas, arguing that collective bargaining agreements unfairly restrict executive oversight in agencies with significant national security roles.
Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized this lawsuit as an essential step in Trump’s broader effort to prevent unions from impeding national security management.
Trump’s executive order aligns with ongoing conservative criticism of a federal bureaucracy they consider bloated and overly expensive. Elon Musk, recently appointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has publicly committed to eliminating billions of dollars in daily government spending.
Additionally, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently announced a reduction of 10,000 federal workers, aligning with Trump’s larger initiative to shrink federal government employment costs.
