DeSantis Launches Coalition of 18 States to Challenge Biden's 'Woke' ESG Policies and Agenda

Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, along with 18 other states, announced a joint initiative on Thursday to counter President Joe Biden’s environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) agenda, which they claim prioritizes “woke” decision-making over maximizing shareholder returns.

The states participating in this effort include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

According to a press release from the governor’s office, the ESG agenda is “destabilizing the American economy and the global financial system.” This initiative follows congressional legislation aimed at keeping politics out of American citizens’ retirement funds – a move that Biden opposed.

The joint statement from the states said, “We as freedom loving states can work together and leverage our state pension funds to force change in how major asset managers invest the money of hardworking Americans, ensuring corporations are focused on maximizing shareholder value, rather than the proliferation of woke ideology.” They argue that Biden’s actions endanger the pensions of thousands of hardworking Americans by prioritizing the ESG movement instead of focusing on investments with the highest returns.

The statement further argues that “Retirees, already suffering from the reckless fiscal policies of the Biden Administration, will continue to experience diminished returns on the investment of their hard-earned money while the corporate elite continue to use their economic power to impose policies on the country that they could not achieve at the ballot box.”

“The proliferation of ESG throughout America is a direct threat to the American economy, individual economic freedom, and our way of life, putting investment decisions in the hands of the woke mob to bypass the ballot box and inject political ideology into investment decisions, corporate governance, and the everyday economy.”

Here’s the letter from the alliance of states against ESG formed by @GovRonDeSantis.

“We will not stand idly by as the stability of our country’s economy is threatened by woke executives who put their political agenda ahead of their clients’ finances.” -Governor DeSantis https://t.co/yw1JwuNGBm pic.twitter.com/idI6zw0yw6

— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) March 16, 2023

The states claim that the spread of ESG in America poses a direct threat to the economy, individual economic freedom, and the American way of life, as it allows the “woke mob” to sidestep the ballot box and introduce political ideology into investment decisions, corporate governance, and the general economy.

The statement highlighted two key areas where the states will collaborate to combat ESG influences:

Safeguarding taxpayers from ESG impacts in state systems: This may involve preventing the use of ESG criteria in investment decisions at state and local levels, ensuring that only financial factors are taken into account to maximize returns for both retirees and taxpayers. Additionally, it may entail removing ESG considerations when state and local governments issue bonds or prohibiting state fund managers from factoring in ESG elements when investing taxpayer money.

Shielding citizens from ESG effects in the financial sector: This could include prohibiting the financial sector from using “Social Credit Scores” in banking and lending practices, which might prevent people from accessing financial services such as loans, lines of credit, and bank accounts. It may also involve stopping financial institutions from discriminating against customers based on their religious, political, or social beliefs, such as owning a firearm, supporting border security, or promoting energy independence.

Governor DeSantis said in a statement that he gave the order to fight against “the pernicious effects of the ESG regime by directing our state pension fund managers to reject ESG and instead focus on obtaining the highest return on investment for Florida’s taxpayers and retirees.”

“At the time I said we would spearhead an initiative to join with other like-minded states to send an even louder message to the financial industry that the American people have rejected ESG at the ballot box, and ideologues cannot and should not circumnavigate the will of the people,” DeSantis continued.

#BREAKING: DeSantis announces Florida will be joined by nearly 20 other states in cracking down on ESG

“We will not stand idly by as the stability of our country’s economy is threatened by woke executives who put their political agenda ahead of their clients’ finances.”

— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) March 16, 2023

“Today, we have delivered on that promise. Florida has emerged as America’s economic engine, with an unemployment rate consistently lower than the nation’s and the highest rate of business formations of any other state. We will not stand idly by as the stability of our country’s economy is threatened by woke executives who put their political agenda ahead of their clients’ finances.”

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