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WASHINGTON – President Trump’s assault on the legal union rights of frontline federal employees has drawn widespread opposition on Capitol Hill, where Republicans and Democrats are urging him to back off his union-busting executive order.

“The outpouring of support for federal employees is a clear sign that the administration has gone too far with its attacks on workers and their unions,” said NTEU National President Doreen Greenwald. “NTEU members across the country have been incredibly vocal about the damage this administration is doing to the federal workforce and the services they provide to the American people, and they are grateful to see more and more members of Congress speaking out.”

NTEU strongly endorses the Protect America’s Workforce Act (H.R. 2550) that would overturn the March 27 executive order stripping collective bargaining rights from hundreds of thousands of federal workers at multiple agencies. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). NTEU is also challenging the order in court because it violates federal law giving federal employees the right to unionize.

Separately, eight House Republicans and every House and Senate Democrat have sent powerful letters to the White House condemning the order, which absurdly claims that collective bargaining rights at certain agencies interfere with national security.

“Collective bargaining in these agencies has traditionally played a positive role by providing a structured channel for communication and addressing employee concern, which ultimately supports a more productive and stable workforce and thereby promotes national security,” the letter from Rep. Fitzpatrick and seven other House Republicans states.

In their letter, House Democrats called Trump’s order the “single most anti-worker and anti-union presidential action” in more than four decades.

“Without union representation, federal employees – including whistleblowers and veterans – will lose vital protections that ensure their ability to serve the American people without fear of unjust reprisal,” the House Democrats wrote in their letter organized by the Congressional Labor Caucus. “As a direct result of this assault on federal workers, we anticipate delays in Americans receiving their tax refunds and veterans’ benefits. This will cause unnecessary hardship for millions of Americans who depend on these services.”

Senate Democrats, in their letter, called the order “an insult to the hardworking public servants who go to work on behalf of the American people.”

Together, the letters show that every Democrat and more than half of the members of the House want President Trump to repeal the order and allow federal employees to keep their collective bargaining rights.

“This order has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with making it easier to indiscriminately fire tens of thousands of federal employees,” Greenwald said. “Members of Congress are rightfully concerned that this administration continues to run roughshod over federal law, weaken the agencies they’ve created and endanger the public services that federal employees swore an oath to provide.”

NTEU represents employees in 37 federal agencies and offices.