Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is Repealing Child Labor Laws:

Trump, Musk, and the GOP want to “Make WORK Great Again” – for a modern-day class of “plantation owners.”

Donald Trump (front, left) attended a campaign rally to endorse Ron DeSantis for Governor of Florida in 2018. Image credit: Butch Dill and the Associated Press (AP).

Could the ongoing controversies surrounding US President Donald Trump and racist billionaire CEO Elon Musk serve as a distraction from the REAL goals of their wealthy donors and corporate backers?

What if the true objectives of rich elites and Christian nationalists are to restore child labor and reinstate slavery in the United States through the widespread use of private “charter” schools and private prisons in various Republican Party (GOP)- controlled “red” states?

What initially appears to be an absurd left-wing conspiracy transforms into a chilling vision of post-democracy reality for America – if you start examining the legislative bills enacted by various GOP governors and legislatures in “red” states, alongside the swift implementation of Project 2025 by the Trump administration.

A bill is currently making its way through the Florida Legislature aimed at repealing child labor protections for 16- and 17-year-olds, allowing them to work full-time and even overnight on school days.

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In 2023, Florida Republican Representative Linda Chaney filed HB 49, a bill that, if signed into law, will change the age restrictions on employment, allowing minors to work overnight shifts and over 30 hours per week, even when school is in session. Image credit: WTSP-10 Tampa.

Republican sponsors and supporters of the bill in Florida argue that it would enable parents and families to make “informed decisions” about their children.

During a committee debate last week, Florida State Senator Jay Collins (R-Tampa) commented on the bill, “We talk about the negative effects, but there are incredible growth effects that come from working at an early age.”

Senator Collins continued, “What I do believe is we should stand up for parental rights and know that parents, which is the group that really can’t take care of their kids in this instance, that can’t have a say on when they should work, how they should work. We should let them say what’s best for their kids.”

“MAGA” GOP Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also made supportive remarks on the child labor bill last week. “Why do we say we need to import foreigners — even import them illegally — when, you know, teenagers used to work at these resorts,” said DeSantis.

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Dr. Alexis Tsoukalas (right), a senior policy analyst with the Florida Policy Institute, joined the Jacksonville, Florida, NEWS4-JAX Morning Show last Thursday, March 27^th, to express her concerns regarding a Republican-led Florida Legislature bill to repeal child labor laws.

Democratic Party critics and advocates for children’s legal rights in Florida argue that this bill aims to address labor shortages created by immigration crackdowns implemented by Governor DeSantis and Republican lawmakers across the state.

During an interview with NEWS4-JAX last Thursday – Dr. Alexis Tsoukalas, a senior policy analyst with the Florida Policy Institute, said of the bill, “The state is basically trying to treat these teens as adults and say let’s work them overnight, unlimited hours, without breaks – and for some if they are home [schooled] or virtual schooled, as young as 14.”

Dr. Tsoukalas continued, “This is going to have a negative effect on their education and well-being.”

Although it remains uncertain whether the bill to revoke child labor laws in Florida will garner enough support to pass, there has been a noticeable trend in recent years of loosening child labor protections. As of 2021, 28 states have proposed bills to weaken child labor laws.

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Thus, child labor has become a significant legislative issue during state legislative sessions across the United States over the past four years.

Multiple sectors of the American economy are now benefiting from the widespread repeal and abuse of child labor laws in a dozen states. Readers will be surprised to learn that a few of the 12 states successfully rolling back child labor statutes are “blue” states with Democratic Party-controlled Governorships or legislatures.

The states are:

• New Hampshire

• Michigan

• New Jersey

• Ohio

• Iowa

• Kentucky

• West Virginia

• New Mexico

• Arkansas

• Tennessee

• North Carolina

• Alabama

Additionally, New York and Massachusetts are joining Florida and six other states in the ongoing push to eliminate child labor protections.

A coordinated national lobbying effort is underway, driven by business interests in construction, meatpacking, automobile manufacturing, and several other major corporate sectors, to employ children without work permits and allow them to work longer hours in more hazardous conditions.

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Mark Zuckerberg (left), Lauren Sanchez (middle), and Jeff Bezos at the 2025 Trump inauguration. Image credit: Kenny Holston-Pool and Getty Images.

Viewing the recent Trump executive order, inspired by Project 2025 to abolish the education department, alongside the rise of private prisons that contract with corporations for cheap inmate labor AND the repeals of child labor laws - makes the supposed “conspiracy” appear less like left-wing hysteria.

All of the businesses in racist billionaire CEO Elon Musk’s corporate empire have a sordid history of union-busting and legal records of racist and sexist management practices. Now you understand why Mr. Musk is trying so hard to eliminate federal government regulatory oversight agencies and buy political judgeships by bribing gullible MAGA voters.

You also begin to see why Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and all the other billionaires joined Elon Musk at Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20^th.

The wealthiest individuals in America are eager to abolish all the laws and regulations that protect the physical health, mental welfare, public education, and personal liberties of American workers.