Blumenthal Slams Trump's Executive Order Stripping VA & Veteran Federal Employees of Earned Union Bargaining Rights

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today released a statement slamming President Trump’s executive order to strip labor protections for nearly two-thirds of the federal government, including employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and veterans who make up nearly one-third of the federal workforce.

Trump’s directive cancels and outlaws collective bargaining agreements for all of VA and parts or all of 17 other federal agencies, stripping employees of certain essential rights including protections for whistleblowers and negotiating for increased support and resources to provide quality, effective, and efficient services to all Americans.

“President Trump’s late-night executive order is a clear gutting of the civil service and a further assault on hard-working Americans, including hundreds of thousands of veterans and VA employees across America. This reprehensible attack on federal employees pours more gasoline on what was already a five-alarm fire for veterans. As proudly noted by the Administration itself, this order is being carried out because unions put the interests of veterans first by fighting the President and Elon Musk’s immoral and illegal cuts, firings, and freezes at VA and across the federal government. I will continue fighting alongside and on behalf of the men and women who serve veterans every day, as well as the labor unions that proudly represent them. This Administration thinks veterans are suckers and losers, and its assault on VA, veterans, and the federal workforce must be stopped before the damage is irreparable and even more lives are upended.”

The Trump Administration’s agencies, including VA, also sued today to invalidate dozens of labor contracts between unions and federal agencies. The agencies sued the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal worker union with more than 800,000 member.

30 percent of all federal employees are veterans, meaning there are approximately 640,000 veteran civil servants. Under this directive, up to 425,000 veterans have been stripped of their union bargaining rights and protections. Unions provide critical protection and support for employees from retaliation and political interference.

On Wednesday, Blumenthal will be leading a shadow hearing to counter President Trump’s mass firing of federal veteran employees and cuts for veterans and their families. He has invited VA Secretary Doug Collins and Acting Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Charles Ezell to testify along with other stakeholders and labor partners to examine the Administration’s mass firings and their impacts on veterans. Ezell issued OPM guidance last night following the issuance of this executive order.

-30-