DeSantis Signs “Anti-Woke” Law That Treasury Claims Puts ‘America’s National Security at Risk’

This warning comes as other states, inspired by Florida’s and Tennessee’s example, have considered passing similar legislation.

According to a Florida government statement the law “increases protection for customers of financial institutions operating in Florida from unwarranted account cancellations and restrictions through a coordinated complaint and investigatory process within the Office of Financial Regulation.”

“We reject a global elite trying to force their ideology on us by capturing major institutions,” said DeSantis. “We are not going to allow big banks to discriminate based on someone’s political or religious beliefs, and we will continue to fight back against indoctrination in education and the workplace.”

“@GovRonDeSantis is signing our agency bill. Does tons of great things, but one is allowing credit unions to participate in our qualified public depositor program. If banks go too woke, public orgs will have other options for maximizing returns. Florida is where WOKE GOES TO DIE,” said Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis in a May X post.

“The Left tells us DEI stands for ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.’ But as practiced, it more closely represents ‘Discrimination, Exclusion, and Indoctrination,’” the governor said in a November X post.

The letter accused the law of promoting an “unsafe and unsound practice” and asserted that “such laws create uncertainty and may inhibit” protections for national security.

“State laws interfering with financial institutions’ ability to comply with national security requirements heighten the risk that international drug traffickers, transnational organized criminals, terrorists and corrupt foreign officials will use the U.S. financial system to launder money, evade sanctions and threaten our national security,” Nelson said.

“To any states that are considering similar laws, I urge them to think twice before putting America’s national security at risk,” said Gottheimer in a statement.

“Gov. Lee and state lawmakers have taken an important step forward in protecting the fundamental freedoms of Tennesseans of every political and religious stripe. This is a win for everyone. No one should be denied access to basic financial services because of their political or religious beliefs. Banks that are too big to fail are too big for bias. It’s the government’s duty to protect the fundamental freedoms of its citizens,” said Senior Counsel Matt Sharp for the organization Alliance Defending Freedom, a group that supports the legislation.

Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, and Idaho have reportedly all considered similar laws.

At a rally earlier this year, Trump promised that he would “place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to debank you from your political beliefs” if elected president in November.

“It wasn’t that long ago (maybe two or three years) that the term ‘debanking’ existed far out of reach of the American lexicon. But in recent months, President Trump has drawn much-needed attention to this freedom-stifling tactic,” said Treasurer David McRae.