Newsom, Pritzker Threaten to Leave Govs' Group Over Troop Deployments

The Democratic governors of California and Illinois are threatening to leave the National Governors Association because of its silence on President 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, the AP reports. They argue the National Guard deployments are not just a policy difference but an infringement on state sovereignty that must be condemned. But some Republican governors have supported Trump's actions, and the national governors' group has not taken a position. "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 AP. 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. 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. (In this year's only two gubernatorial races, Democrats think the government shutdown could push voters their way.)