{"id":2223055,"date":"2024-04-17T10:11:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-17T14:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-watchdog-warns-about-weaponization-of-red-states-pension-funds-for-leftist-causes\/"},"modified":"2024-04-17T10:16:47","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T14:16:47","slug":"exclusive-watchdog-warns-about-weaponization-of-red-states-pension-funds-for-leftist-causes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-watchdog-warns-about-weaponization-of-red-states-pension-funds-for-leftist-causes\/","title":{"rendered":"Special Report: Watchdog Raises Concerns Over Red State Pension Funds Funding Leftist Agenda"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fexclusive-watchdog-warns-about-weaponization-of-red-states-pension-funds-for-leftist-causes%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2223055&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The exclusive \u2062watchdog report shared with The Daily Wire reveals how Oklahoma \u2062state pension funds are being used to\u200c support\u2063 decarbonization,\u200c racial audits, \u200cand pro-abortion policies. Asset managers\u200d linked to the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System have directed funds towards ESG-themed proposals targeting the oil industry \u2064and promoting leftist social values. Governor Kevin Stitt and Treasurer Todd Russ have expressed concerns about ESG investing in the state.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/topic\/oklahoma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oklahoma<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-congressional-candidate-proposes-legislative-ban-on-public-retirement-funds-of-investments-in-china\/\" title=\"California Congressional Candidate Proposes Legislative Ban on Public Retirement Funds of Investments in China\">public retirement funds<\/a> are being \u201cweaponized\u201d to back decarbonization, racial audits, and push pro-abortion policies, according to a new watchdog report shared exclusively with The Daily Wire.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/OPERS-Woke-Investment-Managers-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a>, from the American Accountability Foundation, found that three asset managers used by the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) have used money from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-hopeful-of-debt-ceiling-deal-as-mccarthy-says-democrats-want-a-default\/\" title=\"Biden optimistic on debt ceiling deal, McCarthy accuses Democrats of desiring default.\">state retirement accounts<\/a> to support shareholder proposals rooted in woke politics and environmental, social, and governance principles. According to the report, three firms \u2014 State Street Global Advisors, Newton Capital Management, and Westfield Capital Management \u2014 have used some of the $1.7 billion they manage for OPERS\u2019 portfolio to support at least 216 ESG-tinged proposals that take aim at the oil industry and push leftist social values.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The AAF obtained data on all proxy votes cast by asset managers for Oklahoma\u2019s public retirement funds since 2022 through an open records request. \u201cAltogether, we identified 216 votes in support of troubling policies, including racial equity audits, gender pay gap reports, initiatives to silence conservatives and trade associations, abortion rights, and the radical climate agenda,\u201d the watchdog wrote in a memo shared with The Daily Wire.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The memo comes as Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) and Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ have <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahoma.gov\/governor\/newsroom\/newsroom\/2023\/march2023\/governor-stitt-joins-18-governors-in-joint-statement-opposing-ha.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">spoken out<\/a> against ESG investing, calling the push harmful to the state. OPERS did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">State Street, alongside BlackRock, were both supposed to be dropped by OPERS because of new legislation restricting state entities from working with companies that are opposed to the oil and gas industry, but <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pionline.com\/esg\/oklahoma-pers-will-keep-blackrock-state-street-after-approving-divestment-exemption\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">were exempted<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  after a vote from the board of OPERS.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the last two years, State Street, Newton, and Westfield all backed resolutions that \u201ccall for increased climate disclosures or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-signs-sweeping-anti-esg-legislation-in-florida\/\" title=\"DeSantis approves broad anti-ESG law in Florida.\">greenhouse gas emissions targets<\/a>,\u201d according to the AAF. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For example, Newton backed a proposal for energy company Phillips 66 to adopt greenhouse gas \u201cemissions reduction targets aligned with the Paris Agreement goal\u201d at the company\u2019s May 2022 shareholder meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWe therefore support the Company to set emission reduction targets for all emissions: the emissions of the company\u2019s operations and the emissions of its energy products (Scope 1, 2, and 3). Reducing Scope 3 emissions, the vast majority, is essential to limiting global heating,\u201d the resolution said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In another instance, Newton voted to back a proposal for Wells Fargo to conduct a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-push-racial-equity-audits-to-cement-control-of-tech-companies\/\" title=\"Democrats Push \u2018Racial Equity Audits\u2019 To Cement Control of Tech Companies\">racial equity audit<\/a>, according to the data shared with The Daily Wire.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Citing the death of George Floyd and \u201csystematic racism,\u201d the resolution urged the bank\u2019s board of directors \u201cto oversee an independent racial equity audit analyzing WFC\u2019s adverse impacts on nonwhite stakeholders and communities of color.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a supporting statement, the resolution objected to $135,000 in Wells Fargo political donations going to \u201cmembers of Congress who objected to certifying the election results.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In another example from June 5, 2023, Westfield voted in support of a resolution saying that UnitedHealth Group should create a \u201creport on congruency of political spending with company values and priorities.\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The reason the report was needed was because of employee PAC donations to politicians \u201cworking to weaken abortion access\u201d and backing of \u201cstate attorneys general seeking <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to revoke LGBTQ civil rights.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/onelink.to\/dwapp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-describedby=\"sk-tooltip-9096\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/onelink.to\/dwapp&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1712932862202000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0plT8RRdMy9XUpIhocnjQS\">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A similar resolution backed by Newton said that Coke\u2019s diversity, equity, and inclusion policies may be hampered because of a Georgia law protecting unborn children six weeks into development. The resolution asked for a report \u201cdetailing any known and potential risks or costs to the company caused by enacted or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/major-retailers-take-action-in-response-to-huge-demand-spike-for-plan-b\/\" title=\"Major Retailers Take Action In Response To Huge Demand Spike For Plan B\">proposed state policies severely restricting reproductive rights<\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tom Jones, the president of the AAF, told The Daily Wire that the will of Oklahomans was being subverted by the use of OPERS funds to push ESG initiatives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cFor Oklahoma\u2019s pension funds to be hijacked to push ESG nonsense is an affront to democracy,\u201d Jones said. \u201cThe American people should decide our laws, not be dictated to by virtue-signaling corporations and government bureaucrats. Americans never voted to force businesses to conduct \u2018racial equity audits\u2019 or to shut down oil and gas companies, yet that is what is being imposed on us by OPERS and the corporate advisers they hire. It\u2019s time to put an end to this madness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A watchdog report shared exclusively with The Daily Wire reveals Oklahoma state pension funds financing decarbonization, racial audits, and pro-abortion measures. The American Accountability Foundation found three asset managers linked to the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System used state retirement funds for these purposes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":200,"featured_media":2223056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-1497989527.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2223055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-1497989527.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2223055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2223055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2223055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2223056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2223055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2223055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2223055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}