Is the US Government the New Activist Investor?

The federal government hasn’t been shy about sharing its feelings on some corporate decisions. For board members, this creates new complexities.

There is no denying that the United States is experiencing a period of social, political, and economic turbulence. Artificial intelligence is upending various industries and company operations, tariffs are complicating global supply chains, and polarization shows no sign of diminishing. For board members, that has already created myriad issues to account for. 

But now there is another complexity on the horizon: whether the United States government is evolving into a new kind of activist investor.

In an August 2025 article making the case for that thesis ...