Alignment: Liberal-leaning on DEI policy; conservative-friendly on shareholder governance.
Summary
In January 2025, Costco’s board of directors publicly defended its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and urged shareholders to reject a proposal from the conservative think tank National Center for Public Policy Research that would have required the company to study the business risks of its DEI initiatives. On January 23, 2025, more than 98% of voting shareholders rejected that proposal. Days later, 19 Republican state attorneys general sent Costco a letter demanding the company end its DEI programs, explicitly citing the Trump administration’s executive order on DEI. Costco has not changed course.
Claims & Sources
Claim 1: Costco shareholders rejected an anti-DEI proposal by approximately 98% on January 23, 2025.
Sources: Reuters (Jan 23, 2025) · Associated Press (Jan 23, 2025) · New York Post (Jan 23, 2025) · Breitbart (Jan 23, 2025)
Claim 2: Costco continued to defend its DEI programs after President Trump’s January 2025 executive order targeting DEI, and was specifically pressured by 19 Republican state attorneys general to roll them back.
Sources: Forbes (Jan 24, 2025) · Iowa Attorney General press release (Jan 27, 2025) · New York Post (Jan 28, 2025) · Breitbart (May 3, 2025)
Related Brands in Grocery & Food Retail
Aligned: Publix · Winn-Dixie (Mixed) · Food Lion (Mixed). Not Aligned: Whole Foods, Costco.
Rating Update: 3/9 → 2/9
On January 23-24, 2025, Costco’s board unanimously rejected a shareholder proposal to evaluate the risks of its DEI program, publicly defending its DEI commitments. While most major retailers were rolling back DEI, Costco actively doubled down. Under our heavy-weight DEI rubric, this active reaffirmation shifts Costco from 3 down to 2.