A new report warns that conservative-led states are quietly implementing radical Left policies, including DEI mandates, ESG investing standards, and gender ideology, due to the influence of powerful national bureaucratic associations operating behind the scenes.
The “Shadow Government” report was released by the State Leadership Initiative (SLI).
In the report, the SLI argues that unelected national associations are embedding progressive agendas into state agencies regardless of voter preferences or which party holds political power.
“Conservative leaders are fond of declaring victory,” the report states.
“They win elections, pass legislation, and appoint agency heads with great fanfare, yet, on issue after issue, the administrative state trudges forward in open defiance of their mandate: enforcing equity initiatives, embedding climate policy, and advancing bureaucratic priorities wholly alien to the voters who ostensibly elected the government.
“This disconnect is not incidental. It is structural.”
The SLI’s review of 23 major state-level associations found that nearly all promote left-wing priorities through “best practices,” policy frameworks, and distribution of federal funds.
Named groups include the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST), the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD), and the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE).
“Every single one of these associations pushes DEI,” SLI founder and president Noah Wall said in a statement.
“It doesn’t matter how specific — whether it’s a fish and wildlife group or a treasury department — DEI is a core part of their programming.”
Examples of Influence:
• NAMD: In its 2021 regulatory priorities document, NAMD listed “advancing equity in Medicaid” as its top recommendation, urging states to focus on racial, ethnic, and other demographic categories in all aspects of Medicaid reform.
• NAST: A 2022 DEI committee, chaired by Massachusetts State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, encouraged members to incorporate DEI policies into hiring and treasury operations, including diverse recruitment teams, monthly DEI events, and formal DEI strategic plans. NAST says the committee was ad hoc and no longer exists.
• NASBE: In a 2020 report, NASBE urged states to implement gender-inclusive policies in schools, including pronoun recognition, transgender participation in sports, and access to facilities aligned with gender identity.
According to SLI, these associations shape state agency culture and operational priorities without direct voter input, allowing DEI programs to persist in transportation departments, ESG standards to influence investment strategies, and gender ideology to affect school curricula, even in deep-red states.
“The ideological left does not need to win a single statehouse so long as it controls the bureaucratic bloodstream,” the report warns.
To counter this “shadow governance,” SLI urges Republican governors and legislatures to:
• Audit all state memberships in national associations, including dues and influence over policy.
• Withdraw from groups that conflict with state law or legislative priorities.
• Require legislative approval before renewing association memberships.
• End automatic adoption of “model policies” without in-state review.
• Ban public funds from supporting DEI training or performance metrics.
“We think that Republican governors in particular need to make sure that they’re sending people to these associations, knowing the problems that these associations have had in the past,” Wall said.
“Our goal is to educate Republican governors about the scale of the problem and make sure they condition future membership on reforms.”
The report concludes that without decisive action, progressive policy frameworks will continue to spread in Republican-led states, not through elections, but through entrenched bureaucratic channels operating outside the public’s view.
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