ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – US Senator Marco Rubio takes big business to task.

In an editorial published Monday, the Florida Republican called American companies “an instrument of anti-American ideologies.” like racism and inequality, but which is also derided by critics as signaling virtue or embracing neo-Marxist worldviews.

Rubio said large companies should be required to disclose how much they invest in the United States and that their boards should be required to show that they have no conflicts of interest with foreign adversaries such as China. . Teachers and firefighters whose pensions fuel institutional investment funds should be able to vote on shareholder proposals rather than fund managers who “push” corporate “awake” policies by voting in corporate elections on their behalf. “said Rubio.

“The corporations that control the vast majority of America’s economic resources and hold onto the information we see and hear on a daily basis are now saying America is a racist or sexist country,” Rubio wrote in The American Conservative. “These oligarchs believe in very existence. of America is fatally flawed, and they spend hundreds of billions of dollars advancing corporate propaganda that reflects these beliefs. They aim to remake our society, our culture and our country. “

Rubio gave a virtual speech later Monday to the National Conservaism Conference in Orlando, in which he spoke about the declining economic fortunes of many Americans. He said changes in economic policies over the past decades have left many people feeling separated from the American dream of good jobs and being able to raise their families in safe neighborhoods. He added: “This must be resolved, because this dream is at the heart of our national identity.”

“By promising to just further reduce regulations and corporate taxes, this will attract applause from campaign donors and garner glowing coverage in the stock market-focused media,” Rubio said. “But it leaves millions of hard-working Americans, people who don’t. Want a socialist America awake, it leaves them speechless in our politics and unanswered to their problems.”

Rubio’s editorial and speech mark a departure for the senator from the traditional pro-business positions that have contributed to his political rise, including an unsuccessful candidacy for president in 2016. Rubio is on the verge of re-election next year, and his expected Democratic opponent is United States Representative Val Demings from Orlando. If re-elected, he is expected to be part of the mix of Republicans running for president in 2024.

Republican politicians have been aligned with business interests for generations, but former President Donald Trump shattered many of those norms by engaging in trade wars and attacking tech companies.

Neither the United States Chamber of Commerce Foundation nor the Florida Chamber of Commerce responded to an email request for comment.

Mike Schneider, The Associated Press