Latest news with #WillHild
Forbes
08-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Something Is Better Than Nothing – Why US Business Has A Vested Interest In A Plastic Pollution Treaty
TOPSHOT - People on boats collect recyclable plastics from the heavily polluted Citarum River at ... More Batujajar in Bandung, West Java, on June 12, 2024. (Photo by TIMUR MATAHARI / AFP) (Photo by TIMUR MATAHARI/AFP via Getty Images) Agricultural commissioners from nearly a dozen conservative states last week called on the Trump Administration to defund international organizations that promote 'net-zero' climate policies, according to The Hill, arguing that reducing carbon emissions would hurt American farmers, ranchers and consumers. The commissioners from states including West Virginia, Kentucky and Mississippi targeted several longstanding United Nations bodies, including the United Nations Environment Program. 'These programs that require compliance with a radical climate agenda undermine American farmers and ranchers, threaten to drive up costs for consumers, and weaken food security for working families,' said Will Hild, executive director of Consumers' Research, which backed the commissioners' letter. 'It's time for these groups to align with President Trump's commitment of restoring common sense to environmental policy or stop receiving any federal funding.' The Risks of an All-or-Nothing Approach The problem with this all-or-nothing approach is that UNEP establishes global standards on some of the most pressing sustainability issues of our time, from forest preservation to plastics and chemical pollution. Stripping it of federal funding would do exactly what the commissioners want to avoid: hurt American farmers, ranchers and consumers by pulling their seat from the table of high-stakes negotiations. The commissioners may want the U.S. to pay attention to UNEP's upcoming INC–5.2 treaty negotiations around plastic production and pollution in Geneva next month, which will have a huge impact on American business's bottom line. Of course, we are one of the world's largest plastic producers, and the negotiations planned for August in Switzerland will invariably reshape U.S. business operations, sourcing strategies, supply chains and compliance costs across industries such as packaging, petrochemicals and consumer goods. Any outcome will have major implications for the broader economy. "Since day one, U.S. business leaders - from sectors ranging from leading consumer brands to global raw material producers - have invested time and resources to engage in these highly technical negotiations and are all united in wanting agreement on a Treaty in August," said my colleague at the US Council for International Business, Agnes Vinblad, Director, Environment & Sustainable Development. It could also be an opportunity for the current administration to sway international policy after President Joe Biden shifted away from being a bridge builder between divergent interests in environmental negotiations to taking a more uncompromising stance. At UNEP's INC-5.0 plastic treaty negotiations in Korea last year, the Biden Administration took what some saw as an extreme approach by aligning itself more closely with the High Ambition Coalition — a group of more than 60 countries advocating for strict measures to address plastic pollution — and supporting binding production limits and bans on problematic plastics. Environmental groups lauded this reversal from the U.S.'s earlier stance, which favored voluntary national targets and focused on recycling and waste management versus mandatory production caps. Industry groups (along with oil-producing nations such as Saudi Arabia and China) criticized the move as detrimental to manufacturing and innovation. Unsurprisingly, no deal was reached last year due to the lack of consensus and the U.S. shift, and UNEP kicked the negotiations to a later date. Almost all parties agreed at the time that incremental changes would have been preferable to a stalemate – after all, some progress is better than none. INC-4 chairman Luis Vayas Valdivieso speaks during the fourth session of the UN Intergovernmental ... More Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution in Ottawa, Canada, on April 23, 2024. (Photo by Dave Chan / AFP) (Photo by DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images) The Strategic Importance of Staying at the Table After these previous talks ended in stalemate, all eyes are on the U.S. to see whether we can reclaim our reputation as a pragmatic leader and help broker a compromise at INC-5.2. But only by engaging with UNEP can we effectively push back against harmful policies to farmers, consumers, and businesses. Walking away entirely from UNEP would put us at a disadvantage. Contrary to what the commissioners have stated, taking away funding would make our economy less secure — not only against traditional adversaries, but against allies in the European Union whose excessive regulations at times threaten American business. Recent Success Stories Prove Engagement Works Just this past May, the Trump Administration sent USG negotiators to UNEP's Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, which makes decisions on hazardous chemicals and waste management. Our presence was instrumental in blocking proposals that would have had large-scale detrimental effects on U.S. aerospace and chemical manufacturing companies. Without it, the outcome would have undoubtedly been very different. Recent reports indicate that we will, in fact, send a delegation to the plastic treaty negotiations next month, and many are hopeful that we will become the rational, consensus-building voice that guides other countries toward tangible progress. As Benny Mermens, chair of the World Plastics Council and Vice President Sustainability of CP Chem (a USCIB member) said via email last week, 'I have been struck by the shared commitment to ending plastic waste in the environment realising that whilst significant issues remain, there is already a clear consensus on issues such as the need to invest in sustainable waste collection and management infrastructure, and to simultaneously transition towards a circular global plastic system.' He went on to add, 'We recognise the challenges, but if we focus on what unites us rather than on what divides us an ambitious and effective Treaty is within reach.' The Cost of Walking Away If we completely pull out of UNEP negotiations, we lose the opportunity to set the agenda on our terms, and to provide at least some progress on an important issue that affects everyone from U.S. businesses to consumers to environmental groups.
The Hill
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Red-state agriculture commissioners push to end funding for certain UN groups
Nearly a dozen agriculture commissioners from red states wrote to top Trump administration officials and Republican lawmakers on Tuesday calling for the elimination of federal funding to organizations that promote 'net-zero' climate policies. The letter, which was obtained exclusively by The Hill, argues that net-zero policies adopted by certain organizations 'will have devastating effects on American consumers, farmers, and ranchers, and further endanger food security for the poor in America.' The agriculture commissioners singled out the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as organizations that promote those policies. 'Each organization is acting, in the words of President Trump's executive order regarding U.S. funding of the UN and other international organizations, 'contrary to the interests of the United States,' and should not receive taxpayer funds,' the commissioners wrote. Signatories include the agriculture commissioners from Texas, Iowa, West Virginia, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Carolina. Net-zero policies aim to reduce carbon emissions to slow rising temperatures. The United Nations has pointed to replacing gas and oil-based power systems with renewable energy as key steps to achieving net-zero emissions. Tuesday's letter from agriculture commissioners cites IMO's efforts to impose emissions charges on shipping and FAO's call for reduced beef consumption as problematic for the agricultural industry. 'America's farmers and ranchers don't just feed our nation; they feed the world,' Will Hild, executive director of Consumers' Research, which has backed the letter, said in a statement to The Hill. 'These programs that require compliance with a radical climate agenda undermine American farmers and ranchers, threaten to drive up costs for consumers, and weaken food security for working families.' 'Consumers' Research supports the state agriculture leaders who are calling for these woke organizations to be defunded,' Hild added. 'It's time for these groups to align with President Trump's commitment of restoring common sense to environmental policy or stop receiving any federal funding.'
Fox News
20-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Expert reveals how companies are rebranding 'toxic' DEI policies to skirt Trump-era bans: 'New wrapper'
EXCLUSIVE: As the Trump administration and Republicans across the country push to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies across the board, the executive director of a top consumer advocacy group spoke to Fox News Digital about what companies and institutions are doing to skirt those efforts. "Over the last few months, we've sort of seen a phase shift in the ways that they're trying to keep this DEI grift going," Consumers' Research Executive Director Will Hild told Fox News Digital about companies, organizations, hospitals and other entities that are attempting to rebrand DEI and environmental, social and governance in the Trump era. "At first, they just pushed back on, tried to defend DEI itself, but when that became so obvious that what DEI really was was anti-White, anti-Asian, sometimes anti-Jewish discrimination in hiring and promotion, they abandoned that," Hild said. "Now what they're trying to do is simply change the terminology that has become so toxic to their brand. So we're seeing a lot of companies move from having departments of DEI, for example, to 'departments of belonging' or 'departments of inclusivity.'" Several major companies have publicly distanced themselves from DEI in recent months as the new administration signs executive orders eliminating the practice while making the argument that meritocracy should be the focus. However, FOX Business exclusively reported in April on Consumers' Research warning that some businesses appear to be rebranding the same efforts rather than eliminating them. "It is the exact same toxic nonsense under a new wrapper, and they're just hoping to extend the grift because a lot of these people, I would say most of the people working in DEI are useless," Hild told Fox News Digital. "They are mediocrities who have managed to get very high-level positions that they're not qualified for by running this DEI grift, and they're desperate," he continued. "They can't just move into running logistics for Amazon because that takes actual competence and intelligence and if you're in a DEI department, you probably don't have either of those things. So they are desperate to keep this grift going so they can justify their own existence. So they're changing it into a new wrapper." Hild, who spoke to Fox News Digital at the State Financial Officers Foundation conference in Orlando, Florida, also explained some of the other issues Consumers' Research is focused on going forward, including fighting "woke" hospitals in three different areas. "One is net zero pledges and activities that raise costs for consumers, patients having to pay more because these hospitals are investing millions, sometimes tens of millions of dollars, into green boondoggle projects that have nothing to do with the treatment of patients and the improvement of their health, but they do raise prices," Hild said. Secondly, Hild said that his group is concerned about DEI quotas at hospitals. Hild explained that the third and "worst" issue is transgender surgeries and procedures being forced onto children. "Pushing of radical left transgender ideology onto kids, and not just pushing it ideologically and rhetorically, but pushing it physically, and what I mean by that is the injection of damaging, lifelong damaging hormones into children to, quote, unquote, change their sex, which is impossible, and even worse, the actual surgical application, removal and mutilation of their genitals, which is a grotesque violation of the Hippocratic Oath," Hild said. Consumers' Research has been actively involved in launching advertising campaigns against hospitals across the United States, including a recent campaign against Henry Ford Health in Michigan, calling out what it says are situations where hospitals are putting "politics over patients."
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Vanderbilt Med Center 'hiding' DEI resources behind password-protected web pages: report
FIRST ON FOX: While some medical schools have taken steps to scrub their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments from their websites, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has been found to be hiding some of theirs behind password-protected web pages. The conservative nonprofit organization Consumers Research unveiled a campaign Tuesday titled, "What Is Vanderbilt University Medical Center Hiding?" after finding that VUMC was not just deleting some of its references to DEI commitments and resources, but also keeping some and hiding them from public view. The campaign includes a website, complete with screenshots and archived web links, showing the various web pages tied to DEI and climate activism that are now password-protected. The Consumers' Research campaign also includes a mobile billboard that the nonprofit has deployed at the university to raise awareness about VUMC's actions. University Doctor Boasts About Finding Loopholes To Skirt Anti-dei Laws: 'That's What We Do' "Vanderbilt University Medical Center is frantically trying to conceal its radical policies by password-protecting and deleting webpages highlighting its commitment to DEI and climate activism," Will Hild, Consumers' Research executive director, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Until recently, VUMC proudly touted its woke ideology, showcasing DEI policies and an activist climate agenda prominently throughout its website. But now, the health system is scrambling to hide the evidence. This seemingly nefarious behavior begs the question, what is Vanderbilt University Medical Center hiding?" While VUMC deleted several web pages related to DEI resources and programs that it offers within specific departments, VUMC's Office of Diversity and Inclusion website allegedly remains active, only to be accessed with a username and password, according to the nonprofit. Read On The Fox News App A VUMC Department of Medicine web page touting its commitment to recruit "a diverse resident and fellow population" and laying out resources for those "underrepresented in medicine" is now hidden as well. Universities Facing 'Impossible Situation' As Trump Administration Cracks Down On Dei: Report Other web pages about prioritizing "climate care as health care" and other left-wing climate change initiatives have also become password-protected, Consumers' Research found. In a statement to Fox News Digital, VUMC spokesperson John Howser said that in light of President Donald Trump's recent executive actions mandating an end to DEI programs, particularly in educational institutions, VUMC "is undertaking a thorough review" of its programs to figure out "where revisions may be required to remain in compliance, including updating information on websites and other public platforms." "While we undertake that review, we have elected to take down related websites to ensure current, accurate, and factual information," Howser added. "VUMC remains committed to maintaining an environment in which all our employees, patients and visitors feel equally welcome, respected and valued." University Of Wisconsin-madison's Ex-diversity Officer Scrutinized Over Spending, Judgment Amid Dei Crackdown Included in the Consumers' Research campaign is a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling on HHS and the Department of Government Efficiency to investigate VUMC. "VUMC, a top research hospital in the United States, relies heavily on federal dollars," the letter states. "Taxpayer dollars should be used to prioritize patient care, not political activism. Consumers' Research stands ready to assist as needed to ensure accountability and protect consumers." VUMC was investigated by Tennessee's Attorney General's Office in 2023 amid allegations that a doctor at VUMC was manipulating medical billing codes to evade insurance coverage-limitations for transgender treatments. The investigation followed a video released in 2022, which allegedly showed a VUMC doctor touting transgender surgeries for minors as "huge money makers" and telling anyone with a religious objection to providing them should article source: Vanderbilt Med Center 'hiding' DEI resources behind password-protected web pages: report
Fox News
18-03-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Vanderbilt Med Center 'hiding' DEI resources behind password-protected web pages: report
FIRST ON FOX: While some medical schools have taken steps to scrub their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments from their websites, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has been found to be hiding some of theirs behind password-protected web pages. The conservative nonprofit organization Consumers Research unveiled a campaign Tuesday titled, "What Is Vanderbilt University Medical Center Hiding?" after finding that VUMC was not just deleting some of its references to DEI commitments and resources, but also keeping some and hiding them from public view. The campaign includes a website, complete with screenshots and archived web links, showing the various web pages tied to DEI and climate activism that are now password-protected. The Consumers' Research campaign also includes a mobile billboard that the nonprofit has deployed at the university to raise awareness about VUMC's actions. "Vanderbilt University Medical Center is frantically trying to conceal its radical policies by password-protecting and deleting webpages highlighting its commitment to DEI and climate activism," Will Hild, Consumers' Research executive director, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Until recently, VUMC proudly touted its woke ideology, showcasing DEI policies and an activist climate agenda prominently throughout its website. But now, the health system is scrambling to hide the evidence. This seemingly nefarious behavior begs the question, what is Vanderbilt University Medical Center hiding?" While VUMC deleted several web pages related to DEI resources and programs that it offers within specific departments, VUMC's Office of Diversity and Inclusion website allegedly remains active, only to be accessed with a username and password, according to the nonprofit. A VUMC Department of Medicine web page touting its commitment to recruit "a diverse resident and fellow population" and laying out resources for those "underrepresented in medicine" is now hidden as well. Other web pages about prioritizing "climate care as health care" and other left-wing climate change initiatives have also become password-protected, Consumers' Research found. In a statement to Fox News Digital, VUMC spokesperson John Howser said that in light of President Donald Trump's recent executive actions mandating an end to DEI programs, particularly in educational institutions, VUMC "is undertaking a thorough review" of its programs to figure out "where revisions may be required to remain in compliance, including updating information on websites and other public platforms." "While we undertake that review, we have elected to take down related websites to ensure current, accurate, and factual information," Howser added. "VUMC remains committed to maintaining an environment in which all our employees, patients and visitors feel equally welcome, respected and valued." Included in the Consumers' Research campaign is a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling on HHS and the Department of Government Efficiency to investigate VUMC. "VUMC, a top research hospital in the United States, relies heavily on federal dollars," the letter states. "Taxpayer dollars should be used to prioritize patient care, not political activism. Consumers' Research stands ready to assist as needed to ensure accountability and protect consumers." VUMC was investigated by Tennessee's Attorney General's Office in 2023 amid allegations that a doctor at VUMC was manipulating medical billing codes to evade insurance coverage-limitations for transgender treatments. The investigation followed a video released in 2022, which allegedly showed a VUMC doctor touting transgender surgeries for minors as "huge money makers" and telling anyone with a religious objection to providing them should quit.
