Tensions between state and federal leadership escalated this week as California Governor Gavin Newsom and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker jointly called on governors nationwide—regardless of political affiliation—to oppose President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard troops into states that have objected to the move.
Both governors described the action as a clear violation of state sovereignty and warned that if the National Governors Association (NGA) fails to condemn what they called unconstitutional overreach, they would withdraw their states from the organization.
In a strongly worded letter to the NGA, Governor Newsom argued that the deployment of National Guard troops from one state into another without the consent of the receiving state undermines the authority of governors and disrupts the balance of federalism. He cautioned that allowing such actions to go unchecked could set a dangerous precedent.
“It should not be difficult for state leaders, regardless of partisan affiliation, to agree that politicizing our states’ National Guard and deploying the Guard from one state into another, over the objections of the home-state Governor, harms the interests of states,” Newsom wrote. He added that history has shown how quickly political norms can erode once broken, urging the NGA to take a unified stand.
Governor Pritzker echoed those concerns in a separate letter, condemning what he described as “an illegal abuse of federal power” following the deployment of Texas National Guard troops into Illinois. He accused the Trump administration of undermining state autonomy for political gain, calling the move “a manufactured stunt that violates the principles of democracy.”
Pritzker emphasized that the authority of governors must remain intact for the sake of maintaining constitutional balance, warning that continued federal interference would “abandon the foundational principles that have protected our Republic for nearly 250 years.”
