Political Quotes

“I have to admit I come to the floor sort of confounded. For a long time, my Republican friends prided themselves--prided themselves--for being the party of free markets, the party of small government, the party opposed to injecting political ideology into the decisions of private investors and managers and companies. But apparently all that was talk because, today, our Republican friends are making an effort to limit free market choice and inject hard-right ideology into private sector decision making. Republicans are attempting to force corporations and managers, against their will, to turn back the clock 50 years, even if it means getting a lower return on investment--even if it means getting a lower return on investment. Now, the facts here are not difficult. The Department of Labor recently introduced a rule recognizing that retirement fiduciaries may consider ESG factors when making investment decisions. The Republican proposal, meanwhile, wants to undo that rule, and, across the country, Republican State legislators are trying to punish managers who dare consider, on their own volition, ESG. Note, Mr. President, that I said ``may''--not ``must''--when describing the rule because the rule that the DOL has put in effect is completely optional. Let me repeat that. The DOL rule is completely optional while the Republican measure is a mandate.…”