The Democratic governors of California and Illinois are threatening to leave the National Governors Association because of its silence on President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops across state lines despite objections from the receiving states' leaders.

"If we cannot come together, on a bipartisan basis, on this basic principle of state sovereignty, what purpose does the National Governors Association serve?" California Gov. Gavin Newsom asked in a letter to the nation's other governors.

The bipartisan governors' group, founded in 1908, advocates for issues on which governors find common ground and hosts meetings where they can exchange ideas. Separate Democratic and Republican governors' associations take more partisan positions and help finance campaigns.

Newsom and

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