Sponsors (3)
The bill locks in existing VA and covered federal employees' collective-bargaining protections to preserve workforce stability and veterans' services, at the expense of reduced executive flexibility and the potential for higher taxpayer costs.
VA employees and other covered federal workers keep existing collective-bargaining agreement (CBA) terms and labor-management protections in effect until each agreement's expiration, preserving their negotiated pay, benefits, and working conditions.
Veterans and VA staff experience greater continuity of care because preserving CBA terms and protections reduces the risk of sudden labor disruptions that could interrupt patient services.
The Department of Veterans Affairs gains predictability for budgeting and workforce planning by locking in agreed contract terms for their stated durations.
Taxpayers and the VA may be obliged to continue paying older or less-cost-effective contract terms, and blocking Executive Orders aimed at changing practices can prevent efficiency gains, increasing government costs.
The bill limits executive and managerial flexibility to change labor-management exclusions or implement rapid staffing and operational reforms at the VA, which could slow efforts to improve service delivery or adapt to changing needs.
Non-VA federal employees may view this as unfair if similar protections are not extended elsewhere, creating perceptions of unequal treatment across the federal workforce.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Keeps VA collective bargaining agreements active on March 26, 2025 in force through their stated terms, nullifies two Executive Orders as applied to the VA, and bars VA funds to implement those orders.
Introduced November 10, 2025 by Richard Blumenthal · Last progress November 10, 2025
Preserves every collective bargaining agreement between the Department of Veterans Affairs and its exclusive employee representatives that was in force on March 26, 2025, keeping each agreement valid and enforceable for its stated term. It also cancels two named Executive Orders to the extent they remove VA-related employees from federal labor-management programs and bars using VA funds to carry out those Executive Orders within the Department of Veterans Affairs.