The Council of Governors met February 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C., for its 28th Plenary Meeting. The Council serves as a forum for 10 presidentially appointed, bipartisan Governors to engage with key federal officials on issues that affect national security, homeland defense, cybersecurity, disaster response and recovery, and the National Guard.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Vermont Governor Phil Scott Co-Chair the Council which also includes Delaware Governor John Carney, Idaho Governor Brad Little, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon.
After opening remarks from Governor Walz, Governor Scott, United States Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and officials from the Department of Defense (DoD) and the White House, the Council received in-progress reviews on four Council working groups:
- Cybersecurity (led by Governor Gordon and Governor Healey),
- Emergency Management and Disaster Response (led by Governor Holcomb and Governor Lujan Grisham),
- Military Matters (led by Governor Walz and Governor Little) and
- Workforce (led by Governor Whitmer and Governor McMaster).
Discussions were then held on strategic trends that will affect the Defense budget in accordance with the budget consultative agreement and the recently approved DoD Homeland Defense Policy Guidance. The meeting concluded with Governors sharing perspectives and concerns to federal partners regarding homeland defense and homeland security issues they are seeing in their states.
