President Trump has struck a decisive blow against government waste by signing an executive order that slashes union privileges from federal workers in national security agencies.
The bold action affects nine major departments and numerous other agencies. It immediately terminates collective bargaining agreements that have long hampered efficiency in government operations.
Union bosses are already howling in protest, but patriots understand this crucial step toward draining the swamp.
The sweeping order affects major departments, including Defense, Veterans Affairs, State, Treasury, Energy, Justice, Commerce, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services.
It represents a significant step toward fulfilling Trump’s promise to streamline government and remove obstacles to effective administration that have accumulated under decades of bureaucratic bloat and union control.
According to official documents, the order was based on the determination that union activity was hindering these agencies’ national security missions.
Unlike previous administrations that allowed government unions to dictate terms and block reforms, the Trump White House is standing firm against special interests that put their power above America’s security.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has already instructed affected agencies to terminate their collective bargaining agreements and cease participating in grievance procedures that have protected underperforming employees for years.
In a remarkably broad interpretation of national security functions, the administration included agencies like EPA, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. International Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
This approach recognizes that national security extends beyond traditional military and intelligence operations, including economic security, border integrity, and America’s interests abroad.
The OPM’s directive makes clear that “those agencies and subdivisions are no longer required to collectively bargain with Federal unions.”
This effectively ends decades of union control over personnel decisions and work rules that often prevented managers from removing poor performers or restructuring operations to meet changing security needs.
The act also instructs agencies to shorten performance improvement plan timelines and return federal workers to in-person work, reversing COVID-era policies that reduced accountability and effectiveness.
Additionally, the government will no longer collect union dues, forcing labor organizations to make their own arrangements with employees.
As expected, union bosses are furious about losing their grip on federal agencies. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has announced plans for legal action, and its leadership has made hyperbolic claims about threats to democracy.
Meanwhile, AFL-CIO President, Liz Shuler, has admitted the real issue: unions can no longer use their privileged position to obstruct Trump’s agenda in court.
These reactions make clear that the order is hitting exactly where it needs to – targeting the administrative state’s ability to resist reforms demanded by voters in the last election.
Moreover, the executive order builds on Trump’s previous success in reforming the Transportation Security Administration, which ended its collective bargaining agreement with employees earlier this year.
Border security agencies like U.S. Customs and Border Protection (whose union endorsed Trump) are not included in the memo, preserving labor rights for the frontline agents directly protecting America’s sovereignty.
Police and firefighters will also maintain their collective bargaining rights, reflecting their essential role in public safety and the administration’s strong support for law enforcement.
This decisive action is already drawing praise from government reform advocates, who have long criticized unions’ stranglehold on the federal workforce.
With the inclusion of Health and Human Services, which is planning to cut 10,000 positions in a restructuring effort, the order opens the door to significant reductions in wasteful bureaucracy and a more efficient, responsive government.
