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Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), the chair of the National Governors Association (NGA), on Thursday spoke out against the deployment of the Texas National Guard to Illinois, characterizing the move as an apparent violation of the belief in “states’ rights.”
In an interview with The New York Times on Thursday, Stitt said he was surprised that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) sent troops to Illinois over the objections of the state’s governor, JB Pritzker (D), saying he thinks that’s the wrong approach.
“I was surprised that Governor Abbott sent troops from Texas to Illinois,” Stitt told the Times. “Abbott and I sued the Biden administration when the shoe was on the other foot and the Biden administration was trying to force us to vaccinate all of our soldiers and force masks across the country.”
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“As a federalist believer, one governor against another governor, I don’t think that’s the right way to approach this,” Stitt added.
Approximately 200 soldiers from the Texas National Guard and 300 soldiers from the Illinois National Guard were activated in the greater Chicago area by Wednesday night, according to an update from U.S. Northern Command.
Stitt emphasized that he supports President Trump’s goal of ensuring “law and order” in Democratic-run cities, as well as the president’s effort to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. But the governor said he worries about the precedent the deployment could set and how a future president from another party could take advantage of that tool.
“We believe in the federalist system — that’s states’ rights,” Stitt said. “Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.”
Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) have threatened to leave the NGA if the association does not come out publicly against the Texas troop deployment. But Stitt said that’s not the organization’s responsibility.
“The NGA is an educational organization under IRS code,” he said. “And so we’re not going to be weighing into the politics. That’s not our lane.”
Stitt said he has not raised his concerns about the troop deployment with Abbott but added “I’m sure it’ll come up” when they see each other this weekend at a rivalry football game in Dallas.
Stitt told the Times that he and Abbott have a good relationship.
“I would send troops to the southern border on his request, anytime he wanted them, and I know he would do the same for me,” Stitt said.
The Hill has reached out to Abbott’s office for comment.