[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 10, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H5520-H5522]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2550 TO NULLIFY THE EXECUTIVE ORDER
RELATING TO EXCLUSIONS FROM FEDERAL LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS
PROGRAMS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Mr. GOLDEN of Maine. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2 of rule XV, I
call up the motion to discharge previously noticed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Maine calls up a motion
to discharge the Committee on Rules from further consideration of House
Resolution 432.
The Clerk will report the title of the resolution.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the gentleman from Maine
(Mr. Golden) will be recognized for 10 minutes and the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Comer) will be recognized for 10 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maine.
Mr. GOLDEN of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I rise to make a motion to
discharge H.R. 2550, the Protect America's Workforce Act.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I oppose this motion, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. GOLDEN of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I support this motion, and I
encourage my colleagues, including the 226 Members of this Chamber who
cosponsored the bill and the 218 of them who signed the discharge
petition, to support the motion.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Maine to
discharge the Committee on Rules from further consideration of House
Resolution 432.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the noes appeared to have it.
Mr. GOLDEN of Maine. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. This will be a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 222,
nays 200, not voting 11, as follows:
[Roll No. 321]
YEAS--222
Adams
Aguilar
Amo
Ansari
Auchincloss
Bacon
Balint
Barragan
Beatty
Bell
Bera
Beyer
Bishop
Bonamici
Boyle (PA)
Bresnahan
Brown
Brownley
Budzinski
Bynum
Carbajal
Carson
Carter (LA)
Casar
Case
Casten
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Cherfilus-McCormick
Chu
Cisneros
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Conaway
Correa
Costa
Courtney
Craig
Crockett
Crow
Cuellar
Davids (KS)
Davis (IL)
Davis (NC)
Dean (PA)
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Deluzio
DeSaulnier
Dexter
Dingell
Doggett
Elfreth
Escobar
Espaillat
Evans (PA)
Fields
Figures
Fitzpatrick
Fletcher
Foster
Foushee
Frankel, Lois
Friedman
Frost
Garamendi
Garcia (CA)
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Gillen
Golden (ME)
Goldman (NY)
Gomez
Gonzalez, V.
Goodlander
Gottheimer
Gray
Green, Al (TX)
Grijalva
Harder (CA)
Hayes
Himes
Horsford
Houlahan
Hoyer
Hoyle (OR)
Huffman
Ivey
Jackson (IL)
Jacobs
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (TX)
Kamlager-Dove
Kaptur
Kean
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy (NY)
Khanna
Krishnamoorthi
LaLota
Landsman
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latimer
Lawler
Lee (NV)
Lee (PA)
Leger Fernandez
Levin
Liccardo
Lieu
Lofgren
Lynch
Mackenzie
Magaziner
Malliotakis
Mannion
Matsui
McBath
McBride
McClain Delaney
McClellan
McCollum
McDonald Rivet
McGovern
McIver
Meeks
Menendez
Meng
Mfume
Min
Moore (WI)
Morelle
Morrison
Moskowitz
Moulton
Mrvan
Mullin
Neal
Neguse
Norcross
Nunn (IA)
Ocasio-Cortez
Olszewski
Omar
Pallone
Panetta
Pappas
Pelosi
Perez
Peters
Pettersen
Pingree
Pocan
Pou
Pressley
Quigley
Ramirez
Randall
Raskin
Riley (NY)
Rivas
Ross
Ruiz
Ryan
Salinas
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schneider
Scholten
Schrier
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Sewell
Sherman
Simon
Smith (NJ)
Smith (WA)
Sorensen
Soto
Stansbury
Stanton
Stauber
Stevens
Strickland
Subramanyam
Suozzi
Sykes
Takano
Thanedar
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tlaib
Tokuda
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Torres (NY)
Trahan
Tran
Turner (OH)
Underwood
Van Drew
Vargas
Vasquez
Veasey
Velazquez
Vindman
Walkinshaw
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson Coleman
Whitesides
Williams (GA)
Wilson (FL)
[[Page H5521]]
NAYS--200
Aderholt
Alford
Allen
Amodei (NV)
Arrington
Babin
Baird
Balderson
Barr
Barrett
Baumgartner
Bean (FL)
Begich
Bentz
Bergman
Bice
Biggs (AZ)
Biggs (SC)
Bilirakis
Boebert
Bost
Brecheen
Buchanan
Burchett
Burlison
Calvert
Cammack
Carey
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Ciscomani
Cline
Cloud
Clyde
Cole
Collins
Comer
Crane
Crank
Crawford
Crenshaw
Davidson
De La Cruz
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Donalds
Downing
Dunn (FL)
Edwards
Ellzey
Emmer
Estes
Evans (CO)
Ezell
Fallon
Fedorchak
Feenstra
Fine
Finstad
Fischbach
Fitzgerald
Fleischmann
Flood
Fong
Foxx
Franklin, Scott
Fry
Fulcher
Gill (TX)
Goldman (TX)
Gonzales, Tony
Gooden
Gosar
Graves
Greene (GA)
Griffith
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hageman
Hamadeh (AZ)
Haridopolos
Harrigan
Harris (MD)
Harris (NC)
Harshbarger
Hern (OK)
Higgins (LA)
Hill (AR)
Hinson
Houchin
Hudson
Huizenga
Hunt
Hurd (CO)
Issa
Jack
Jackson (TX)
James
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (SD)
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Joyce (PA)
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
Kennedy (UT)
Kiggans (VA)
Kiley (CA)
Kim
Knott
Kustoff
LaHood
LaMalfa
Langworthy
Latta
Lee (FL)
Letlow
Loudermilk
Lucas
Luna
Luttrell
Mace
Maloy
Mann
Massie
Mast
McCaul
McClain
McClintock
McCormick
McDowell
McGuire
Messmer
Miller (IL)
Miller (WV)
Miller-Meeks
Mills
Moolenaar
Moore (AL)
Moore (NC)
Moore (UT)
Moore (WV)
Moran
Murphy
Nehls
Newhouse
Norman
Obernolte
Ogles
Onder
Owens
Palmer
Patronis
Perry
Pfluger
Reschenthaler
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rose
Roy
Rulli
Rutherford
Scalise
Schmidt
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Self
Sessions
Shreve
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Spartz
Stefanik
Steil
Steube
Strong
Stutzman
Taylor
Tenney
Thompson (PA)
Tiffany
Timmons
Valadao
Van Duyne
Van Epps
Van Orden
Wagner
Walberg
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Westerman
Wied
Williams (TX)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Yakym
Zinke
NOT VOTING--11
Garbarino
Gimenez
McGarvey
Meuser
Miller (OH)
Nadler
Rouzer
Salazar
Sanchez
Smucker
Swalwell
{time} 1742
So the motion to discharge was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I missed votes due to personal illness. Had
I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 317, No on Roll
Call No. 318, YEA on Roll Call No. 319, NAY on Roll Call No. 320, and
YEA on Roll Call No. 321.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I missed votes due to a personal matter. Had
I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 317, NO on Roll
Call No. 318, YEA on Roll Call No. 319, NAY on Roll Call No. 320, and
YEA on Roll Call No. 321.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Weber of Texas). The Clerk will report
the resolution.
The Clerk read the resolution as follows:
H. Res. 432
Resolved, That immediately upon adoption of this
resolution, the House shall proceed to the consideration in
the House of the bill (H.R. 2550) to nullify the Executive
order relating to Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management
Relations Programs, and for other purposes. All points of
order against consideration of the bill are waived. The bill
shall be considered as read. All points of order against
provisions in the bill are waived. The previous question
shall be considered as ordered on the bill and on any
amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion
except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled
by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform or their respective
designees; and (2) one motion to recommit.
Sec. 2. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX and clause 8 of rule XX
shall not apply to the consideration of H.R. 2550.
Sec. 3. The Clerk shall transmit to the Senate a message
that the House has passed H.R. 2550 no later than one week
after passage.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Maine is recognized for 1
hour.
Mr. GOLDEN of Maine. Mr. Speaker, during consideration of this
resolution, all time yielded is for the purposes of debate only.
General Leave
Mr. GOLDEN of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Maine?
There was no objection.
Mr. GOLDEN of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
The Protect America's Workforce Act would overturn President Trump's
executive order from March that ended collective bargaining rights for
roughly 1 million Americans who work for the Federal Government.
Since the order was made, the administration has ripped up more than
700,000 union contracts. The order was the largest act of union busting
in American history, and it left our Federal workforce more vulnerable
to unfair treatment and political interference.
I am proud that since introducing this bill, it has won the support
of 226 of my colleagues in this Chamber. This majority includes
Democrats and Republicans who recognize that collective bargaining is
not a partisan issue. It is about fairness, dignity on the job, and a
voice in the workplace.
In his order, President Trump said ending collective bargaining was
about protecting our national defense, but in my district and many
others, affected workers build our warships and care for our veterans.
These workers make our country safer and stronger every single day.
America didn't vote to silence these workers, but this bill gives all
of us a chance to restore their voices. Every one of us in this body
was sent here by our constituents to represent their voice in Congress.
While the majority leadership has broad prerogative to set the calendar
and control the flow of legislation, no one here believes they should
have absolute power to determine which bills see the light of day and
which don't.
The discharge petition process exists to give Members of Congress
some agency. It is a release valve to ensure that good bills with broad
support cannot be held up forever by a leadership team. It gives us a
fair shot at building a coalition to do the people's work and get an
up-or-down vote on the floor.
That is exactly how my colleagues and I have spent the past several
months. We have built a bipartisan coalition representing a majority of
the House in support of this bill and done the work to bring it to the
floor.
I know that none of us ran for office with the vision of governing by
discharge petition. Most of us long for the return of regular order
where bills are assessed in committee, seriously debated, and given a
vote. However, here we are. As it stands, we must use every tool
available to do the people's work.
I am grateful to my eight Republican colleagues who cosponsored the
bill, led by my friend Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania,
and to the five Republicans who signed the discharge petition to ensure
that this Chamber would hold this vote.
If the majority we built over the past few months sticks together, we
can overturn this union-busting executive order, and we can show
America that this body will protect workers' rights.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the rule. Let these workers
have their day on the House floor. Give them an up-or-down vote. They
deserve that much.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has the only time.
Mr. GOLDEN of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Dexter).
Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for
your leadership.
I rise today in defense of the people who make our government work,
our Federal workers. They are scientists, nurses, engineers, and
caseworkers, people who have dedicated their lives to public service.
Unfortunately, these workers have found themselves under attack once
again, as efforts to strip them of their collective bargaining rights
continue. This is not just about national security. It is about
ensuring these workers have a voice in their workplaces and the ability
to negotiate for fair wages, decent working conditions, and dignity.
[[Page H5522]]
As a former union member, I understand the critical importance of
standing together for workers' rights. I know how unions can be a
powerful force for change, ensuring working families have a fair shot
at the American Dream. That is why the Protect America's Workforce Act
is so vital. It is time for Congress to come together in a bipartisan
way to pass this legislation that will protect Federal workers from
attacks that threaten their livelihoods and their families.
{time} 1750
Federal workers are the backbone of our Nation. From FEMA teams
helping wildfire survivors to VA staff caring for our veterans to
Social Security workers making sure seniors can live with dignity,
these are the people who serve us every day. They are not faceless
government employees. They are our neighbors, our friends, and our
families.
These attacks on their rights are not abstract. They are real, and
they are personal. Over the past few months, I have heard from many
Federal workers in Oregon who have faced illegal firings, threats, and
mistreatment. They have shared how these actions are creating fear and
instability in their lives and communities. One Federal worker, a
disabled combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was
recently fired from his job at the USDA. He summed it up perfectly when
he said: ``This is not the America I swore an oath to protect.''
That is the sentiment I know many of us in this Chamber share.
Federal workers, like that veteran, swore an oath to protect this
country. Their dedication and service have been unwavering. We owe them
the same commitment in return. I am grateful for the way we have come
together across party lines to ensure the rights of working people and
protect those who serve our Nation.
I stand strong with our Federal workers and with all working families
across Oregon. I commend my colleagues for coming together to fight for
what is right. I am eager to continue this work alongside all of you to
prioritize the needs of working families.
Mr. Speaker, it is time we act. It is time we pass the Protect
America's Workforce Act because our workers cannot wait. Congress must
honor their service and ensure their rights are enshrined today.
Mr. GOLDEN of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hoyle).
Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, on March 27, President Trump issued
an executive order that took away the collective bargaining rights of
more than a million Federal workers at over 30 agencies under the guise
of protecting our national security. This includes VA employees, food
and safety inspection service workers, health and human service
employees, including those at the CDC and the FDA.
These workers now have had their voices silenced and have no
whistleblower protection if they report about working conditions or
safety or even illegal actions taken by their agency. They have lost
their voice to demand fair treatment or due process, and they have lost
the protection for their job.
This is coming from an administration who has been clear that they
have no respect for the Federal workforce or even in some cases for the
rule of law, who has said that they want to put the Federal workforce
in trauma to force them to leave.
The Protect America's Workforce Act nullifies this order and restores
all collective bargaining agreements that were in effect before March
26, 2025.
These collective bargaining agreements were bargained in good faith
and are a contract between the Federal Government and the people that
work for us.
Anyone who says that they are looking out for American workers should
support restoring and protecting the collective bargaining rights to
allow everyday people, our Federal workforce, to achieve economic
security and dignity by speaking with one powerful, unified voice. A
union helps workers use their power by standing together to level the
playing field.
It is disappointing that this bill couldn't come to the floor through
the regular process as there is enough bipartisan support to pass this
good and critical legislation, but that didn't happen.
I am grateful to my colleague, Jared Golden, for filing this
discharge petition. I am proud to speak in favor of it. This is a good
bill. I encourage my colleagues to vote ``aye.''
Mr. GOLDEN of Maine. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is
ordered on the resolution.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
____________________