Ignoring a century of complementary relationships between union workers and the Defense Department, the leaked January memo refers to an obscure authority allowed under national security law that can supersede labor law when the president, or in this case, the now-delegated secretary of defense, feels labor rights interfere with the interest of the nation.

This week, the White House released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2021 detailing how it sees the future of the Executive Branch and the government writ large. While the White House budget proposal is viewed as a largely ceremonial practice fraught with political messages, it also carries strong notions of what the president may allow or veto in that year’s appropriations bills.