President Trump freed VA employees to focus on caring for veterans instead of serving union bosses.
But a handful of Republicans stabbed him in the back.
And RINO sellouts teamed up with Democrats to stop Trump's plan to help veterans.
Five House Republicans betrayed Trump and veterans
President Trump eliminated collective bargaining for most VA employees in March through an executive order that freed nearly 400,000 workers from union control.
VA Secretary Doug Collins terminated union contracts in August, returning 750,000 hours of "union time" and 187,000 square feet of office space back to veteran care.¹
But five House Republicans turned traitor.
Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Robert Bresnahan (R-PA) signed a discharge petition with Democrats to force a vote on overturning Trump's order.²
Their signatures gave Democrats the 218 votes needed to bypass Speaker Mike Johnson.
The bill would restore every union contract Trump canceled and hand control back to the same labor bosses who spent years protecting employees fired for misconduct.
These Republicans claim they're "supporting workers" and ensuring "good government."
Garbage.
Lisa Murkowski completes the betrayal
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski co-sponsored separate legislation with Democrats Richard Blumenthal and Chuck Schumer specifically targeting VA employees.³
Murkowski's bill would nullify Trump's executive orders and restore union bargaining rights for 80% of VA workers.
She claims restoring union power would help VA employees "focus on supporting our veterans."
That's backwards.
Even Franklin D. Roosevelt, the most pro-union President in American history, opposed collective bargaining for federal employees.
FDR understood government unions negotiate against the public.
When union bosses bargain with politicians they helped elect, veterans lose.
The American Federation of Government Employees bragged their Biden-era contract was "the very best union contract in the entire federal government."⁴
Now AFGE spends its time filing lawsuits to block Trump's reforms.
Unions protect the worst employees while veterans suffer
The VA's union problem isn't theoretical.
In 2014, a patient escaped from a psychiatric ward at a Kansas City VA facility because employees failed to lock the door they were monitoring.⁴
Three VA workers then lied in their reports about the patient's whereabouts.
One employee falsely recorded four separate times that the patient remained in the secure room.
These workers deserved immediate termination for endangering a patient and lying about it.
The union fought even a one-day suspension.
AFGE filed grievances and won, forcing the VA to award back pay to an employee who repeatedly documented a patient's presence when he had actually escaped.
That's what happens when unions control the VA instead of accountability to veterans.
Under Biden, AFGE worked hand-in-hand with the administration to reinstate more than 100 employees fired for misconduct during Trump's first term.⁵
The union forced taxpayers to pay nearly $134 million to approximately 1,700 former VA employees terminated for poor performance or misconduct.
Fitzpatrick, Lawler, LaLota, Bacon, Bresnahan, and Murkowski want to bring that system back.
The real agenda behind the union power grab
Democrats aren't fighting for collective bargaining because they suddenly care about VA employees.
This is their political machine.
Here's how the scam works: Public sector unions dump millions into Democrat campaigns, then those same Democrats hand them sweetheart contracts.
It's legalized bribery dressed up as workers' rights.
The AFGE endorsed Biden in 2020 and spent millions supporting Democrat candidates.
Now Democrats return the favor by trying to overturn Trump's reforms.
And these five House Republicans gave them the votes to do it.
They chose union campaign contributions over veterans.
Think about that for a second.
While veterans wait months for appointments, 1,900 VA employees were spending 750,000 hours on union activities.⁵
That's called "official time" — taxpayers paying union officials to do union business instead of their actual jobs.
While taxpayers struggle with inflation, they're funding 187,000 square feet of free office space for union representatives who spend their days filing lawsuits.
Trump fixed that problem.
The discharge petition would reverse every bit of that progress and send VA workers right back to serving union bosses instead of veterans.
That's what Fitzpatrick, Lawler, LaLota, Bacon, Bresnahan, and Murkowski voted for.
Conservative voters didn't send Republicans to Washington to partner with Chuck Schumer.
They didn't elect them to protect the corrupt union system that shields incompetent employees and wastes taxpayer money.
These six sold out Trump, sold out veterans, and sold out everyone who believed Republicans would fight for accountability.
The next time they ask for your vote, remember whose side they took when it mattered.
¹ VA News, "VA terminates union contracts for most bargaining-unit employees," August 6, 2025.
² Federal News Network, "House majority forces vote on bill to restore collective bargaining for most federal employees," November 18, 2025.
³ Senator Lisa Murkowski, "Murkowski and Colleagues Introduce Bill to Restore VA Employees' Collective Bargaining Rights," November 14, 2025.
⁴ Washington Post Editorial Board, "America's veterans deserve better care than government unions provide," December 1, 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
