Bipartisan US governors’ group faces division over Trump’s deployment of troops to states
Democratic Governors of California and Illinois are threatening to abandon the National Governors Association over its silence. President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops across state lines, despite objections from the leaders of the recipient States.
“What purpose does the National Governors Association serve if we cannot come together on a bipartisan basis, on this fundamental principle of state sovereignty?” California Gov. Gavin Newsom was asked in a letter to other governors of the country.
The bipartisan governors’ caucus, founded in 1908, advocates for issues where governors find common ground and host meetings where they can exchange ideas. Separate Democratic and Republican Governors Associations take more partisan positions and help finance campaigns.
Newsom and Illinois Gov. J.B. PritzkerBoth potential 2028 presidential candidates argue that Donald Trump’s troop deployments should be a concern for all governors. But some Republican governors supported Trump’s actions, and the National Governors Caucus did not take a position.
Matching the agency’s task force on emergency management and public health are Republican Missouri Gov. “The policy issue of whether the Constitution allows for federal involvement in the state and the National Guard is something the NGA will want to tackle,” Mike Kehoe said.
The Democratic governors of Kansas, Michigan and Minnesota left the NGA this year. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said she didn’t think the nearly $100,000 in dues paid by the state was a good investment and encouraged the group to push back against canceled federal grants.
Some Democrats see watchdog action’s role in declining states
The bipartisan organization of governors is far from the first to face division and doubts about how it should respond to sweeping changes in Trump’s second term. Since returning to office, Trump has wielded executive power in ways presidents typically don’t.
There is this week Tried to deploy Texas National Guard members in Chicago and California guard members in Portland, Oregon, to protect federal immigration facilities and personnel amid what Trump has described as out-of-control crime. Democratic officials in those states have sued efforts like California. So far there are judges Blocked deployment in Oregon But I didn’t stop it in Illinois.
Newsom and Pritzker argued that the National Guard deployments were not just a policy difference but a reprehensible infringement on state sovereignty.
On Monday, Pritzker met with the president of the National Governors Association, Oklahoma Gov. “The credibility of the National Governors Association – and our integrity as state governors – rests on our willingness to consistently enforce our principles,” he said in a letter to Kevin Stitt.
Stitt did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Tuesday. But at a news conference last month, he said the group should stay away from areas where there is no consensus and leave those to the Democratic Governors Association and the Republican Governors Association.
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who authorized the call-up of 400 Texas National Guard members, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. On Monday, X posted a cartoon on his account showing the Democratic Governors of California, Illinois, and New York telling Trump to “Leave our crime alone.”
Bipartisan groups don’t always weigh in
The National Governors Association bills itself as a beacon of bipartisanship, which means it stays out of the thorniest battles. Some issues where governors have found common ground include disaster preparedness, workforce development and expanding broadband access.
Last week, Stitt and NGA Vice Chairman Wes Moore, the Democratic Governor of Maryland and a possible 2028 presidential candidate, condemned the then-imposed federal government shutdown, calling for dialogue but no specific policy solutions: “We urge federal leaders from both parties to put political games aside and pass a budget that delivers on values and promise every day.”
But no unity has emerged on Trump’s immigration and crime-fighting policies.
Kehoe said he didn’t want anyone to sign a statement condemning Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to their country against a governor’s wishes. Earlier this year, Kehoe, over the objections of the Democratic Mayor, filed a lawsuit against St. Louis, citing crime as justification. He successfully pushed through a state makeover of the St. Louis Police Department oversight board.
“Certainly Chicago could use some help,” Kehoe said. “I hope Governor Pritzker will welcome assistance to keep his citizens safe.”
___
Associated Press writers John Hanna, Kansas, and Trân Nguyễn in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report.
