As Elon Musk and his DOGE cronies take a sledgehammer to federal agencies, corporate interests are mounting a coordinated effort to dismantle state rules and regulations — backing legislative efforts to kneecap state watchdogs’ ability to enforce everything from environmental protections to worker safeguards.
This means that as guardrails for consumers and workers are dismantled on a federal level, states are in danger of losing their ability to pick up the slack.
In 15 states this year, according to a review by The Lever, lawmakers have introduced so-called “judicial deference” laws, which would stack the deck against state regulators and allow corporate America to swiftly challenge and strip away state protections ranging from restrictions on pollution to consumer safeguards.
