(Zero Hedge)—A new report from the State Leadership Initiative (SLI), released Wednesday, is sounding the alarm on how conservative states are quietly adopting woke policies, driven by little-known national bureaucratic organizations.
The report, first reported by Fox News, details how a web of well-funded national associations, often posing as nonpartisan or professional groups, is behind this trend, pushing what SLI calls “shadow governance.” These groups set policy frameworks, control federal funding, and offer “best practices” that lean heavily into left-leaning priorities, according to Fox News.
Among the organizations exposed in the report are the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST), the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD), and the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). SLI’s report examined 23 of the largest associations and found widespread embrace of DEI initiatives, transgender ideology policies, and ESG principles.
One example highlighted in the report points to NAMD’s push for equity over outcomes in Medicaid reform. In its 2021 Regulatory Priorities document, NAMD listed 11 “broad issues” for improving state Medicaid programs, with “advancing equity in Medicaid” as the top focus. The document reads, “Equity work should include a focus on racial and ethnic minorities, rural populations, Tribal populations, and any other groups experiencing disparate health outcomes, with an understanding that inequities are multidimensional and often fall across multiple population characteristics or categories. We also see discrete areas where focus would be beneficial, bearing in mind that the work to advance equity in Medicaid is holistic and branches across all issue domains.”
“Conservative leaders are fond of declaring victory,” the report reads. “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 ideological left does not need to win a single statehouse so long as it controls the bureaucratic bloodstream,” the report added.
In a statement to Fox News, SLI founder and president Noah Wall said about the revelations that, “Every single one of these associations pushes DEI.” “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.”
Wall demanded Republican governors to crack down on the quiet push for far-left policies and called for accountability.
“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,” he said. “I don’t think they have. So our goal is to educate Republican governors about the scale of the problem and make sure that they condition future membership on reforms.”
This task will be far from easy.
While some Republican leaders and President Trump have pushed to eliminate progressive policies like DEI from public and corporate spheres, major U.S. companies are adapting by subtly rebranding their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
A recent report by The Conference Board found that major companies, particularly those in the S&P 100 and S&P 500, are reframing rather than abandoning their DEI initiatives. Over half of S&P 100 companies adjusted their DEI messaging in 2025 SEC filings, with a 68% drop in the use of the term “DEI” among S&P 500 firms and a significant reduction in DEI-related metrics.
“This shift in public disclosure doesn’t signal companies are abandoning DEI,” said Andrew Jones, a researcher for The Conference Board. “Rather, they’re selectively reframing commitments, reducing public exposure and embedding oversight more quietly yet firmly into governance and human capital management.”
Why Bullion Beats Numismatics and Collectible for Your Safe or IRA
Precious metals continue to attract Americans seeking reliable ways to protect their wealth amid inflation, geopolitical risks, and stock market swings. Whether stored in a home safe or held inside a self-directed IRA, physical gold and silver deliver tangible value that paper or digital assets often lack. Yet investors must choose carefully between bullion—pure bars and coins valued mainly for their metal content—and numismatics or collectibles, where rarity, history, and collector demand heavily influence pricing.
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Numismatic coins and collectibles add substantial value from factors such as age, rarity, minting errors, or historical significance. A pre-1933 U.S. gold coin or graded proof piece can carry premiums of 30%, 50%, or even 200% above melt value. While this appeals to hobbyists, it creates complexity. Pricing depends on subjective grading, collector trends, and auction results instead of daily spot prices.
For investors focused on wealth preservation and retirement security rather than building a collection, bullion often delivers better results.
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Stronger Fit for Precious Metals IRAs
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Numismatic and most collectible coins generally face heavy scrutiny from custodians due to valuation disputes and elevated markups. These higher premiums mean less actual metal ends up working inside the account.
Bullion avoids these issues. Its value links directly to verifiable spot prices, which simplifies reporting and lowers the risk of regulatory challenges. More of your IRA contribution purchases real metal instead of dealer profits or speculative upside. Over time, owning additional ounces that appreciate with the metal itself can create meaningful outperformance compared with high-premium alternatives that deliver fewer ounces.
Regulatory guidance from the CFTC and state securities offices repeatedly cautions against aggressive sales of expensive numismatics or “semi-numismatic” coins for IRAs. For retirement planning, transparent bullion from established providers reduces risk and aligns better with long-term goals.
How to Get Started with Bullion
Begin by clarifying your goals. Are you protecting savings in a safe, or moving part of a retirement account into a precious metals IRA? Focus on the number of ounces you can acquire at current prices rather than chasing marked-up collectibles.
Diversify sensibly: use gold for core preservation and silver for its blend of industrial and monetary qualities. Mix coins for easier divisibility with bars for lower per-ounce costs on larger buys. Arrange secure storage—whether at home with proper insurance or through professional facilities.
As economic uncertainties linger and faith in conventional assets erodes, bullion continues proving its worth as a dependable store of value. Its direct approach avoids the hype that sometimes surrounds collectible markets and keeps the focus on the metal itself.
For investors prepared to strengthen their portfolios, Advisor Bullion supplies the expertise and selection needed to acquire high-quality bullion efficiently. Whether building personal holdings or integrating metals into an IRA, their emphasis on transparent, investment-grade products helps secure more ounces today that support greater financial security tomorrow. In a complicated financial landscape, bullion’s clarity and reliability make it the smarter foundation for protecting what matters most.