The Democratic governors of California and Illinois are threatening to leave the National Governors Association because of its silence on President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops across state lines despite objections from the receiving states’ leaders.
“If we cannot come together, on a bipartisan basis, on this basic principle of state sovereignty, what purpose does the National Governors Association serve?” California Gov. Gavin Newsom asked in a letter to the nation’s other governors.
The bipartisan governors’ group, founded in 1908, advocates for issues on which governors find common ground and hosts meetings where they can exchange ideas. Separate Democratic and Republican governors’ associations take more partisan positions and help finance campaigns.
Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, both potential 2028 presidential candidates, contend Trump’s troop deployments should be a matter of concern for all governors. But some Republican governors have supported Trump’s actions, and the national governors’ group has not taken a position.
“I’m not sure the policy issue of whether the Constitution allows for federal involvement in the state and the National Guard is something that the NGA would want to tackle,” said Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe, who co-chairs the organization’s task force on emergency management and public health.
The Democratic governors of Kansas, Michigan and Minnesota already have left the NGA this year. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said she didn’t think the roughly $100,000 annual dues paid by the state were a good investment and encouraged the group to push back against canceled federal grants.
Some Democrats see Guard action diminishing states’ role
The bipartisan governors’ organization is far from the first institution to face division and doubts over how it should respond to sweeping changes in Trump’s second term. Since returning to office, Trump has been using executive power in ways that presidents usually don’t.
This week, he has attempted to deploy Texas National Guard members to Chicago and California Guard members to Portland, Oregon, to protect federal immigration facilities and personnel amid what Trump describes as out-of-control crime. Democratic officials in those states have sued over the efforts, as has California. So far, judges have blocked the deployment in Oregon but haven’t stopped it in Illinois.
Newsom and Pritzker have argued the National Guard deployments are not just a policy difference but an infringement on state sovereignty that must be condemned.
“The credibility of the National Governors Association — and our integrity as state executives — rests on our willingness to apply our principles consistently, regardless of which administration attacks them,” Pritzker said in a letter Monday to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, the chair of the National Governors Association.
Stitt did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment from The Associated Press. But he said in a news conference last month that the group should steer clear of areas where there’s not a consensus and leave those to the Democratic Governors Association and 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, he posted a cartoon on his X account showing the Democratic governors of California, Illinois and New York telling Trump, “LEAVE OUR CRIME ALONE.”
Bipartisan group doesn’t always weigh in
The National Governors Association bills itself as a beacon of bipartisanship, which means it stays out of a lot of the thorniest battles. Some topics where governors have found common ground include disaster preparedness, workforce development and expanding broadband access.
Last week, Stitt and NGA vice chair Wes Moore, the Democratic governor of Maryland and a possible 2028 presidential candidate, condemned the then-looming federal government shutdown, calling for dialogue but not a specific policy solution: “We urge federal leaders from both sides to work to set aside political games and pass a budget that reflects the values and promises states commit to every day.”
But no unity has emerged on Trump’s immigration and crime-fighting policies.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, said in a statement that he’s opposed to the mobilization but isn’t ready give up on the governor’s organization over it. “My hope is that the NGA will continue to advocate for the best interest of the states,” he said.
Kehoe said no one has asked him to sign onto a statement denouncing Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to states against a governor’s will. Earlier this year, Kehoe successfully pushed for a state makeover of the St. Louis Police Department oversight board despite the objections of the Democratic mayor, citing crime as justification.
“Certainly Chicago could use some help,” Kehoe said. “I would hope that Governor Pritzker would welcome help to keep his citizens safe.”
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Associated Press writers John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas; Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; and Trân Nguyễn in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report.
By GEOFF MULVIHILL and DAVID A. LIEB
Associated Press
