WASHINGTON (AP) — An annual meeting of the nation’s governors that has long served as a rare bipartisan gathering is unfolding after President Donald Trump barred Democratic governors from White House events.
The National Governors Association said it will no longer hold a formal meeting with Trump when the governors are scheduled to meet in Washington later this month, after the White House planned to invite only Republican governors. On Tuesday, 18 Democratic governors also announced they would boycott a traditional dinner at the White House.
“If reports are true that not all governors are 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 remain united and will never stop fighting to protect and make life better for the people in our states.”
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican and NGA chairman, 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 Republican governors only.
“Because the NGA’s mission is to represent all 55 governors, the Association no longer serves as the facilitator for that event, and is no longer included in our official program,” Stitt wrote.
The NGA is scheduled to meet in Washington from February 19 to 21. Representatives for Stitt, the White House and the NGA did not immediately comment on the letter.
Brandon Tatum, CEO of the NGA, said in a statement last week that the White House meeting is an “important tradition” and said the organization was “disappointed with the administration’s decision to make it a partisan occasion this year.”
The governors’ caucus is one of the few places left where political leaders from both major parties gather to discuss the key issues facing their communities. In his letter, Stitt urged the governors to unite around common goals.
“We cannot allow one divisive action to achieve its goal of dividing us,” he wrote. “The solution is not to respond in kind, but to rise above and stay focused 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 grows distracted by politics.”
Signs of partisan tensions emerged at a White House meeting last year, when Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills traded barbs.
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 she doesn’t comply. Mills replied, “See you in court.”
Trump then predicted that Mills’ political career would end for opposing the order. She is now running for the United States Senate.
The back and forth had a lasting impact on last year’s conference and some Democratic governors did not renew their rights last year to the bipartisan group.
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Peoples reported from New York.