CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker sent a letter to National Governors Association (NGA) Chair Kevin Stitt, calling for him to denounce the unconstitutional deployment of the Texas National Guard into Illinois. This action is an illegal abuse of federal power by the Trump administration, and Governor Greg Abbott’s willingness to exploit his own National Guard members to participate in a manufactured political stunt goes against the core principles of the NGA and our democracy.
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“This is precisely the federal and interstate overreach we warned against — gubernatorial authority being trampled, state sovereignty being ignored, and the constitutional balance between states being attacked,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “If the President continues overriding Governors to deploy military assets into another state against another Governor’s will, we have abandoned the foundational principles that have protected our Republic for nearly 250 years.”
“The credibility of the National Governors Association — and our integrity as state executives—rests on our willingness to apply our principles consistently, regardless of which administration attacks them. Should National Governors Association leadership choose to remain silent, Illinois will have no choice but to withdraw from the organization. I remain hopeful that principled leadership will prevail over political calculation and we can chart a path forward together,” Governor Pritzker concluded in his letter.
The brave men and women who serve in our country’s National Guard units should never be used as political props. In this crucial moment, it is vital for the NGA to unequivocally denounce authoritarianism as Trump and his allies attempt to usurp the will of state governors — and the American people.
