Lauren Boebert Joins Ron DeSantis' Fight Against Disney

Lauren Boebert has joined a battle Republican lawmakers are waging against Disney, adding her support to a bill that would scrap two no-fly zones over the entertainment company's amusement parks.

The GOP representative for Colorado was among the seven original cosponsors of HR 3109, which would direct the Secretary of Transportation to rescind the exclusionary zones in the airspace above Disneyland in California and Disneyworld in Florida. In a statement, Boebert said: "Woke corporations shouldn't get any favors from the government."

It follows an ongoing dispute between Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after the company denounced a bill preventing teachers from discussing sex and gender. The Republican leader of the Sunshine State has since sought to limit the influence Disney has in Florida.

In the U.S., permanent no-fly zones are usually located over military sites, as well as Washington D.C. A temporary restriction over Disney's two theme parks was made permanent in 2003—but that could be set to change if HR 3109, introduced on May 5, is passed.

"The FAA [Federal Aviation Authority] has no business granting a no-fly-zone over Disney parks," Boebert said in support of the bill. "Universal Studios, Hershey Park, Six Flags, and other theme parks don't have no-fly-zones over them, and it's time for Disney to get the same treatment.

"No corporation should get preferential treatment from the government—especially when it is grooming children," she added. "Go woke, go broke."

Newsweek approached the Walt Disney company for comment via email on Friday.

Conservatives and far-right activists have accused Disney of "grooming" after it withdrew its support for DeSantis' "Don't Say Gay" law, which prevents teachers of younger children from discussing sexual and gender identity. It has also attracted criticism for depicting LGBTQ+ characters in its content.

When the Parental Rights In Education bill was signed into law in March 2022, Disney said it aimed to have the law repealed, with a company spokesperson saying it "should never have passed and should never have been signed into law." DeSantis later said Disney had "crossed a line."

The Florida governor later took a series of legislative steps to wrest control of the estate the theme park sits in. Under a long-standing special government entity, the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the company is able to effectively govern local services in the same way a local authority might.

In February, Florida's legislature introduced a bill that would give DeSantis the ability to appoint the five board members who run the district, who must be confirmed by state senators. It also bars those who have worked for Disney within three years or their relatives from becoming board members.

Following further legislative moves, in late April Disney filed a federal lawsuit against DeSantis, over what it described as the state government punishing the company for speaking its mind. A spokesperson for the governor said at the time that it did not have a legal right to its "special privileges."

Disney's CEO Bob Iger has since questioned whether the company would invest further in Florida.

While DeSantis appears to have the backing of several conservative Republican lawmakers, others have expressed their dismay over his feud with the company. In April, Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas and 2024 presidential hopeful, told Fox News: "You don't use the heavy hand of government to punish business. The left does that."

Republican congressman for Texas Troy Nehls, who first introduced the legislation seeking to remove air restrictions over Disney's resorts, said: "Theme parks like Disney should not receive special treatment just because they are well-connected. Our national security should not be compromised to fit the needs of one corporation."