This week, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., announced he was named to the U.S. House Financial Services Committee’s Republican ESG Working Group.
“The working group will combat the threat to our capital markets posed by those on the far-left pushing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) proposals,” Donalds’ office noted.
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., will lead the group. Donalds is the only member of the Florida delegation in the working group.
“As the far-left continues their march through our institutions, Republicans must develop a coordinated strategy to fight back against the mob rule mentality of environmental, social and governance (ESG) proposals in the business world. ESG’s are simply the latest ploy of progressives to consolidate power over ‘We The People.’ What started with the media and our educational institutions cannot become a standard for tens of thousands of businesses across our country. I am proud to be assigned to Rep. Huizenga’s ESG Working Group and I look forward to fighting back against the political intrusion of the far-left into every facet of our lives.,” Donalds said.
“Progressives are trying to do with American businesses what they already did to our public education system—using our institutions to force their far-left ideology on the American people. Their latest tool in these efforts is environmental, social, and governance proposals. This is why I am creating a Republican ESG working group led by Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee Chair Bill Huizenga. This group will develop a comprehensive approach to ESG that protects the financial interests of everyday investors and ensures our capital markets remain the envy of the world. Financial Services Committee Republicans as a whole will continue our work to expand capital formation, hold Biden’s rogue regulators accountable, and support American job creators,” said U.S. Rep. Pat McHenry, R-NC, who leads the U.S. House Financial Services Committee.
“Last year, the Supreme Court ruled in West Virginia vs EPA that government bureaucracies cannot arbitrarily expand their own regulatory reach. The SEC’s climate disclosure rule is a prime example of this overreach- that would have a wide-ranging impact on hard working Americans across all walks of life. I look forward to leading our committee’s ESG working group, which will focus on promoting strong, vibrant capital markets, while defending the interests of all retail investors,” said Huizenga.
Last month, Donalds garnered as many as 20 votes as Republicans attempted to pick a speaker as they took the majority. U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., eventually won the gavel on the 15th ballot.
Donalds served two terms in the Florida House before being elected to Congress in 2020.