WASHINGTON — An annual meeting of the nation’s governors that has long served as a rare bipartisan gathering is canceled after President Donald Trump excluded Democratic governors from White House events.
The annual governors’ gathering is unfolding with the White House after Trump excluded DemocratsAfter the White House planned to invite only Republican governors, the National Governors Association said it would no longer hold formal meetings with Trump when the governors meet in Washington later this month. On Tuesday, 18 Democratic governors also announced they would boycott a traditional dinner at the White House.
“If reports are true that all governors are not invited to these events, which have historically been productive and bipartisan opportunities for collaboration, we will not be attending the White House dinner this year,” the group wrote. “Democratic governors will remain united and will not stop fighting to protect the lives of our state’s people and improve their lives.”
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican and chairman of the NGA, said in a letter Monday to fellow governors obtained by The Associated Press that the White House intends to limit invitations to the association’s annual business meeting scheduled for Feb. 20 to only Republican governors.
“Because NGA’s mission is to represent all 55 governors, the association is no longer serving as a facilitator of that event, and it is no longer included in our official program,” Stitt wrote.
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The NGA is scheduled to meet in Washington from February 19-21 Representatives for Stitt, the White House and the NGA did not immediately comment on the letter.
NGA CEO Brandon Tatum said in a statement last week that the White House meeting was an “important tradition” and said the organization was “disappointed in the administration’s decision to make it a partisan occasion this year.”
The governor’s group is one of the few remaining places where political leaders from both major parties gather to discuss the top issues facing their communities. In his letter, Stitt encouraged the governors to unite around common goals.
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“We cannot allow a divisive action to achieve its goal of dividing us,” he wrote. “The solution is not to respond, but to rise above and focus on our shared duty to the people we serve. America’s governors have always been models of pragmatic leadership, and that example is most important when Washington is distracted by politics.”
There are signs of partisan tension in the White House meeting last yearwhile Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills Barbs to deal with.
Trump singled out the Democratic governor for his push to bar transgender athletes from competing in girls and women’s sports, threatening to withhold federal funding from the state if he didn’t comply. “We’ll see you in court,” Mills replied.
Trump then predicted that Mills’ political career would end for opposing the order. He is now running for the US Senate.
The back-and-forth had a lasting impact on last year’s convention, and some Democratic governors did not renew their dues to the bipartisan group last year.
People report from New York.
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