Washington, DC - The White House announced Thursday night that President Donald Trump has appointed Governor Doug Ducey to the Council of Governors (Council), a bipartisan group of 10 governors who advise the White House on homeland security and national defense issues. Governor Ducey will join the Council in Washington D.C. for the first plenary meeting of 2019.
“It’s an honor to be appointed to the Council of Governors, where Arizona will now have a seat at the table on some of the most important discussions affecting our state and nation,” said Governor Ducey. “Arizona is the home of multiple major military installations. Protecting our national defense infrastructure, as well as public safety and border security are top priorities. As the only southwestern border governor on the Council, I look forward to bringing Arizona’s perspective to the discussion to help advance policies that will make our communities safer and our border more secure.”
The Council of Governors includes ten governors (five from each party), the secretaries of the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, the president’s homeland security and counterterrorism advisors, the commander of U.S. Northern Command, the commandant of the Coast Guard and the chief of the National Guard Bureau.
The Council serves as a bipartisan forum for governors and the administration to discuss critical issues affecting states and the federal government and advise on policy direction. Topics of discussion at tomorrow’s meeting include cybersecurity, disaster preparedness, the federal budget, defense spending, and military issues.
Background
Members of the Council include Co-Chair Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, Co-Chair Hawaii Governor David Ige, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Montana Governor Steve Bullock, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.