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Trump administration shifts to partisan governance model

Trump administration shifts to partisan governance model

Rule Changes
By Newzino Staff |

Federal-state relations fracture as White House limits engagement to Republican officials

February 11th, 2026: 18 Democratic governors announce boycott

Overview

For 118 years, the National Governors Association brought state leaders of both parties to the White House for working sessions with the president. That ended this week when President Trump limited invitations to Republicans only, prompting the organization's Republican chairman to withdraw it from the event entirely. Eighteen Democratic governors announced a boycott of the traditional White House dinner, and two governors—Maryland's Wes Moore and Colorado's Jared Polis—were excluded from all events without explanation.

The governors meeting is the most visible rupture in a broader pattern: the Trump administration has ordered funding reviews of 14 Democratic-led states, frozen billions in Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief, vetoed a water project in Colorado, and dismantled the nation's largest federal climate research center in Boulder. The White House frames these as ordinary exercises of executive discretion. Critics see the emergence of a governance model in which federal resources flow preferentially to political allies.

Key Indicators

55
NGA member governors
The National Governors Association represents all state and territorial governors regardless of party.
18
Democratic governors boycotting
Democratic governors announced they will not attend the White House dinner after two colleagues were excluded.
118
Years of bipartisan tradition
The NGA was founded in 1908 and has maintained bipartisan White House engagement until now.
$11B
FEMA payments canceled
The Federal Emergency Management Agency canceled billions in disaster payments to states amid ongoing legal battles.

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Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

(1884-1962) · Progressive Era · politics

Fictional AI pastiche — not real quote.

"A government that reserves its aid for its friends and withholds it from its critics has ceased to be a democracy and become merely a patronage system with elections. One wonders if those who practice such selective governance have considered that majorities change, and the precedents they set today will be the weapons used against them tomorrow."

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People Involved

Kevin Stitt
Kevin Stitt
Governor of Oklahoma; NGA Chairman (Withdrew NGA from White House meeting)
Wes Moore
Wes Moore
Governor of Maryland; NGA Vice Chairman (Excluded from all White House events)
Jared Polis
Jared Polis
Governor of Colorado (Excluded from all White House events; engaged in ongoing disputes with administration)
Karoline Leavitt
Karoline Leavitt
White House Press Secretary (Defending administration's position)
Janet Mills
Janet Mills
Governor of Maine (Engaged in ongoing legal dispute with administration)
Brandon Tatum
Brandon Tatum
Chief Executive Officer, National Governors Association (Managing organization's response to exclusion)

Organizations Involved

National Governors Association
National Governors Association
Bipartisan Policy Organization
Status: Withdrew from White House meeting; maintaining bipartisan mission

The voice of the nation's 55 governors and a leading forum for bipartisan policy solutions.

Timeline

  1. 18 Democratic governors announce boycott

    Response

    Eighteen Democratic governors, including potential 2028 presidential candidates Whitmer, Newsom, Pritzker, and Shapiro, announced they would skip the White House dinner.

  2. White House limits NGA meeting to Republicans

    Policy

    The White House confirmed that only Republican governors would be invited to the annual NGA business meeting, breaking 118 years of bipartisan tradition.

  3. NGA Chairman Stitt withdraws organization

    Response

    Republican NGA Chairman Kevin Stitt announced the organization would no longer facilitate the White House meeting, citing its mission to represent all 55 governors.

  4. Moore and Polis excluded from White House events

    Exclusion

    Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Colorado Governor Jared Polis were disinvited from all NGA events at the White House without explanation.

  5. Administration orders funding review of 14 Democratic states

    Policy

    The Office of Management and Budget directed agencies to report all grants, loans, and contracts to 14 jurisdictions—all with Democratic governors or led by Democrats.

  6. Trump vetoes Colorado water project

    Veto

    Trump's first veto of his second term killed the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a water pipeline that would serve 50,000 Coloradans. Critics called it retaliation.

  7. Colorado rejects Tina Peters transfer

    State Action

    Governor Polis affirmed Colorado's rejection of the Trump administration's request to transfer convicted election clerk Tina Peters to federal custody.

  8. States sue over frozen FEMA funds

    Legal

    At least 19 states, all with Democratic attorneys general, presented evidence that congressionally approved FEMA funding was being withheld.

  9. Trump and Gov. Mills clash at NGA meeting

    Confrontation

    At the 2025 NGA White House meeting, Trump threatened to withhold Maine's federal funding over transgender athletes policy. Mills replied: 'See you in court.'

  10. Trump begins second term

    Administration

    Donald Trump inaugurated for second presidential term, beginning new approach to federal-state relations.

Scenarios

1

Partisan Governance Becomes Normal

Discussed by: Political scientists and administration defenders who argue the president has discretion over White House events

The administration continues limiting federal engagement to Republican officials, and the pattern becomes accepted practice. Republican governors attend White House events while Democrats are excluded. Federal grants increasingly flow to allied states. Future administrations of both parties adopt similar approaches, fundamentally restructuring federalism around party loyalty rather than constitutional relationships.

2

Courts Block Partisan Fund Distribution

Discussed by: Legal analysts at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Government Accountability Office, which has found funding freezes illegal

Federal courts rule that conditioning disaster relief or grant funding on political alignment violates the Constitution's spending clause or equal protection principles. Judges issue injunctions requiring funds to flow regardless of state political leadership. The administration faces sustained legal challenges that limit its ability to use funding as leverage.

3

Republican Governors Break Ranks

Discussed by: Political observers noting Stitt's withdrawal of the NGA and statements that the organization won't be 'divided'

More Republican governors publicly distance themselves from partisan exclusions, viewing the NGA's bipartisan mission as essential to effective federal-state coordination. Internal pressure builds within the party to restore traditional engagement. The administration moderates its approach to maintain Republican governor support.

4

Democratic States Form Parallel Coordination

Discussed by: State policy analysts observing increased coordination among Democratic governors through alternative channels

Excluded Democratic governors formalize their own coordination mechanisms outside the NGA framework. States share resources, coordinate legal strategies against federal overreach, and develop alternative channels for federal engagement through Congress rather than the executive branch. This accelerates the fragmentation of federal-state relations along partisan lines.

Historical Context

Nixon's Enemies List (1971)

June 1971 - August 1974

What Happened

The Nixon administration maintained a list of 220 political opponents, including 22 Democratic members of Congress, 50 journalists, and various activists. Internal memos stated the goal was to 'use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies' through tax audits, prosecution, and denial of fair treatment. The IRS commissioner refused to launch politically motivated audits.

Outcome

Short Term

When the list became public during the 1973 Senate Watergate hearings, it shocked supporters and opponents alike, becoming evidence of administration misconduct.

Long Term

The enemies list became one of the articles of impeachment against Nixon. It established a precedent that using federal agencies to target political opponents constitutes an abuse of power.

Why It's Relevant Today

The current pattern raises similar questions about whether federal resources and access are being allocated based on political loyalty rather than constitutional obligations to all states.

New Deal Federal-State Tensions (1933-1937)

March 1933 - 1937

What Happened

The Roosevelt administration dramatically expanded federal power through New Deal programs, prompting resistance from conservative state governors and business interests. Several Republican governors refused to implement federal programs or challenged them in court. The Supreme Court initially struck down key New Deal legislation before reversing course after Roosevelt's 1937 court-packing threat.

Outcome

Short Term

States that cooperated with federal programs received significant relief funding; resistant states faced delays and reduced allocations.

Long Term

The New Deal permanently expanded federal authority over states and established conditional federal grants as a primary mechanism of federal-state relations.

Why It's Relevant Today

Like the current situation, the New Deal era featured sharp partisan disagreement over federal power, with funding used to incentivize state compliance. Unlike today, the goal was expanding federal programs rather than restricting engagement with opposing-party officials.

Reconstruction Federal-State Relations (1865-1877)

1865 - 1877

What Happened

After the Civil War, the federal government imposed military governance on former Confederate states, requiring them to ratify the 14th Amendment and meet other conditions before readmission. Federal troops enforced Reconstruction policies over the objections of state officials. The federal government explicitly conditioned full political participation on compliance with its requirements.

Outcome

Short Term

States that complied were readmitted to full representation; those that resisted faced continued military occupation and excluded representatives.

Long Term

The Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction, withdrawing federal troops and allowing states to reassert control, leading to decades of Jim Crow laws that the federal government did not challenge.

Why It's Relevant Today

Reconstruction represents the most extreme example of the federal government conditioning state participation on political compliance. It established both the constitutional authority for such conditions and the risks when federal enforcement ends.

12 Sources:
+6
NPR Fox News The Washington Post The Hill PBS NewsHour The Baltimore Sun CNN The Advocate National Governors Association Wikipedia NPR NPR