Pennsylvania Governor, Josh Shapiro waves to Eagles fans during the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl 59 victory parade along S. Broad Street in Philadelphia, PA, on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025.
Just a few short months ago, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro campaigned against President Trump. Now, he'll be meeting with him as an appointee by Trump to a bipartisan panel made up of governors from across the country.
Shapiro was one of 10 governors - five democrats and five republicans - named to the Council of Governors by Trump on Thursday. The council's primary goal is to strengthen the partnership between federal and state governments - primarily on national security issues, disaster response and military coordination.
It was less than a week ago that Shapiro challenged the Trump administration in court over the freezing of federal money that was already approved by Congress.
The term on the Council is for two years.
“Governor Shapiro was invited by President Trump to serve on the bipartisan Council of Governors — and he looks forward to this opportunity to represent Pennsylvania and collaborate with leaders in both parties on key security and emergency response issues,” said Manuel Bonder, Shapiro’s press secretary in a statement released to media outlets.
Shapiro is already in Washington D.C. for the National Governor's Association annual winter meeting. He will be joined by other governors at the White House on Friday to meet with the President. He is expected to advocate for the importance of federal funds for the state of Pennsylvania.
Also appointed to the panel with Shapiro are Democratic governors Wes Moore of Maryland, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Josh Stein of North Carolina, and Kathy Hochul of New York, and Republican governors Ron DeSantis of Florida, Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, Henry McMaster of South Carolina, Jeff Landry of Louisiana and Brian Kemp of Georgia. Stein and Youngkin will co-chair the council.
The council was created in 2010 by virtue of an executive order by President Barack Obama. The council also includes federal government officials such as Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
To ensure that the Council appropriately represents all governors, the Council co-chairs, through the National Governors Association, share documents for review and discussion with all governors’ offices prior to their approval by the Council.
