House Republicans ramp up labor union investigations before midterms
The House Education and Workforce Committee, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg, has demanded years of financial records from the UAW, United Steelworkers, and three rail unions over claims that leadership funneled member dues into Democratic campaigns and lavish travel rather than workplace advocacy. Lawmakers frame the inquiry as a matter of union accountability, pointing to a widening gap between increasingly Republican-leaning rank-and-file members and their unions' political spending. The committee has signaled the findings could inform legislative changes to labor-management disclosure law or be referred to the Justice Department if wrongdoing is uncovered. Union leaders have pushed back, but the probe underscores growing tension between organized labor's traditional political alliances and the shifting politics of its own membership.
See "House Republicans ramp up labor union investigations before midterms", Michael Sainato, The Guardian, September 2, 2026