Gov. Ige Appointed Co-Chair of Council of Governors

The White House reports that Gov. David Y. Ige has been appointed co-chair of the Council of Governors.

The Council of Governors (Council) was created by the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2008 and formally established by President Obama’s Executive Order 13528, issued on Jan. 11, 2010. It serves as a mechanism for governors and key federal officials to address matters pertaining to the National Guard, homeland defense and defense support to civil authorities.

“Hawaiʻi is home to the United States Indo-Pacific Command and well over three-hundred thousand Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, Hawaii National Guardsmen, Army Reservists, and Department of Defense civilian employees,” said Gov. Ige. “As governor of the State of Hawaiʻi, I am uniquely positioned here in the Pacific to partner with the federal administration to identify security challenges and seek solutions across our complex global environment.”

The Council consists of 10 governors appointed by the president—five from each party—with two governors serving as co-chairs. The current members are:

Democrats:
Gov. David Y. Ige (HI), co-chair
Gov. Ned Lamont (CT)
Gov. J. B. Pritzker (IL)
Gov. Tim Walz (MN)
Gov. Steve Bullock (MT)

Republicans:
Gov. Asa Hutchinson (AR), co-chair
Gov. Doug Ducey (AZ)
Gov. Mike Parson (MO)
Gov. Pete Ricketts (NB)
Gov. Mike DeWine (OH)

The Council will be meeting on Friday, Feb. 22 in Washington, D.C. in conjunction with the National Governors Association’s 2019 Winter Meeting.

Former Gov. Neil Abercrombie previously represented Hawaiʻi on the Council.