Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will withdraw from the National Governors Association, a political organization comprising governors from all states, territories and commonwealths in the United States.
On July 24, The Atlantic reported that Walz and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly plan to stop paying dues to the organization this month, thereby cancelling their membership. States pay about $100,000, drawn from state funds, in membership dues every year.
ABC News also reported Walz will not pay dues to the organization next year and is reassessing his involvement. Walz won his position in 2018, and was reelected in 2022. His office is up for grabs again in 2026, but he hasn't officially announced his reelection campaign.
“When you are also paying dues with taxpayer dollars, it has got to be worth it, and they are going to have to demonstrate that,” The Atlantic’s unnamed source said. “Right now, they are not doing that.”
The Atlantic published the piece with anonymous sources because they "requested anonymity to speak about plans that were not yet public."
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Kelly confirmed the state would withdraw from the National Governors Association on July 25.
"I think I've always been known as a fiscal conservative, a good steward of Kansas taxpayer money, and I really felt like we were not getting a good return on investment," Kelly said. "So we'll evaluate it in the years to come. If the NGA sort of restructures and figures out a way to provide the kinds of services that all the state governors need, we'll reevaluate the situation,"
Kelly is the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, an organization that helps collect Democratic governors and offers policy recommendations for current governors. Kelly assumed the role after Walz resigned from the position in August to campaign for vice president in former Vice President Kamala Harris' unsuccessful run for president.
The Atlantic reported that some Democratic members of the National Governors Association are dissatisfied with the organization's response to President Donald Trump's actions impacting state governance — namely the pausing on disbursements of federal funds in January, clashes between Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills, and the deployment of the California National Guard to Los Angeles despite objections from state and local elected officials.
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States have opted out of the organization before, though it's unclear how many as the organization considers even non-dues paying states to be members. In 2011, Texas, Ohio, Idaho and Florida didn't pay dues to the organization.
The Atlantic piece said some states have been frustrated that some states don't pay their dues but still attend National Governors Association events.
The decision comes ahead of the organization's summer meeting in Colorado, where a bipartisan group of about 20 governors will come together. Featured guests at the summer meeting include Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., investor Mark Cuban and economist Jason Furman.
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This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Why Gov. Walz is pulling Minnesota from National Governors Association
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