Overview

• Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Ben Cline have reintroduced the 'No Union Time on Taxpayers’ Dime Act,' seeking to prohibit federal employees from engaging in union activities during paid duty hours.
• The legislation builds on a Trump administration executive order that restricted official time for union activities across federal agencies, aiming to make these changes permanent.
• An Office of Personnel Management report highlighted that official time cost taxpayers approximately $135 million in fiscal year 2019, with federal employees spending millions of hours on union-related work.
• Critics of official time cite operational inefficiencies, including delays in veteran care and Social Security services, as a result of federal employees prioritizing union work over their official duties.
• Alternative proposals, such as Sen. Joni Ernst’s Protecting Taxpayers’ Wallets Act, suggest requiring unions to reimburse the government for time and resources used for union activities.