Washington, DC – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following comments Thursday regarding the Department of Labor's withdrawal of its proposed regulations to restrict youth under 18 from working on the family farm:

“The voices of Kentucky's farmers and their families were heard loud and clear by the Administration. Kentucky farmers said it was insulting to suggest that they would put their kids at risk and that the government is needed to step in to regulate their family life. The informed, commonsense decisions of parents should take precedence over those of unelected bureaucrats thousands of miles away. Family farming is a tradition in Kentucky and the proposal DOL withdrew today would have set a dangerous precedent for the federal government’s intrusion into family matters.”

Note: In March, Senator McConnell joined several of his Senate colleagues in introducing legislation to prevent the Department of Labor from enacting this proposal.