Governors association withdraws White House meeting after partisan invites

The National Governors Association said it would no longer facilitate a White House session slated for Feb. 20 during the NGA’s Feb. 19–21 winter meeting in Washington after the White House planned to invite only Republican governors. NGA Chair Kevin Stitt informed members of the decision on Feb. 10, writing that because the association represents all 55 governors it could not serve as the event’s facilitator, according to a letter obtained by the Associated Press.

The move breaks with a long-standing practice in which incoming administrations use the NGA gathering as a rare bipartisan forum for federal-state discussion, including sessions with Cabinet secretaries and a traditional black-tie dinner for governors and their spouses. Stitt, a Republican and governor of Oklahoma, made the decision as the association’s leadership, which is composed of nine members and includes Democratic vice chair Wes Moore of Maryland, prepared for the winter meeting.

Democratic governors responded by announcing a coordinated boycott of the White House dinner. In a joint statement reported by multiple outlets, the group said, "If the 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 statement added, "Democratic governors remain united and will never stop fighting to protect and make life better for people in our states." Coverage cited 18 Democratic governors as part of the boycott.

Brandon Tatum, chief executive of the bipartisan association that supports governors, framed the White House plan as a disruption of the federal-state relationship. "To disinvite individual governors to the White House sessions undermines an important opportunity for federal-state collaboration," he said, adding that "at this moment in our nation’s history, it is critical that institutions continue to stand for unity, dignity and constructive engagement."

The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, defended the administration’s control over guest lists at a press briefing, saying the president "can invite whomever he wants to dinner and events here at the White House." She added that the president "welcomes all those who received an invitation to come and if they don't want to, that's their loss," and described the executive residence as both "the people's house" and the president’s home.

The New York Times reported that the president had personally blocked invitations for at least two Democratic governors, Maryland’s Wes Moore and Colorado’s Jared Polis, and that the White House was planning a separate bipartisan dinner for governors and their spouses. That account has not been independently confirmed by the White House or the NGA in the material reviewed for this report.

The dispute raises immediate institutional questions about the role of the NGA as an inclusive forum for state executives and about the utility of traditional Washington convenings when they become selective. NGA officials framed their decision as a duty to represent all 55 governors, while the White House framed invitation decisions as an executive prerogative.

With the winter meeting now days away, unresolved issues include whether the administration will proceed with alternate events and which governors, if any, will accept direct invitations. The breakdown of the customary, bipartisan governors session underscores growing tensions between the White House and state executives and signals a rarer, more overtly partisan turn in a forum historically used for cross‑party governance.