Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) is not expected at the National Governors Association retreat this weekend as reports emerge suggesting cracks in the Democratic relationship with the organization.

Gov. Laura Kelly (D-KS) has not registered for the summit either, though the meeting of the bipartisan governors group will enjoy a “record number” of governors at the summer meeting in Colorado Springs.

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The NGA reportedly will not get any more dues from Walz or Kelly over its reaction to President Donald Trump’s ventures into state matters. The Washington Examiner did not confirm the report but did confirm that the two governors had not registered for the summit.

Both have concluded that the “organization’s usefulness is now in doubt” because it allegedly did not respond sufficiently to incidents such as the pause on the disbursement of all federal funds in January, when Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) argued with Trump over transgender athletes, and when the National Guard was deployed into California during the Los Angeles protests.

“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,” a source told the Atlantic. “Right now, they are not doing that. There have been ongoing concerns about the NGA among the Democratic governors and staff, off and on, for years.”

A source close to the bipartisan NGA suggested to the Washington Examiner that they do not believe the reports of Democratic problems with the organization. They said there have been no formal resignations from membership, no public dissent, and no votes or procedural challenges internally.

The source also said the unnamed sources in the Atlantic story covering Kelly and Walz’s dues are trying to pressure the NGA to become more political, that no wrongdoing has occurred, and the story is “manufactured.”

The NGA is a group for governors to collaborate on policy and describes itself as “the collective voice of the nation’s governors.” Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) chairs the group, and Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) is the vice chairman.

Neither Kelly nor Walz is part of the NGA’s executive committee or leadership team. Walz is a member of the NGA’s Public Health and Disaster Response Task Force, and Kelly is a member of the Economic Development and Revitalization Task Force.

The group is meeting at the Broadmoor resort to collaborate and listen to speakers including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Education Secretary Linda McMahon, businessman Mark Cuban, and the former Obama administration economist Jason Furman.

According to the NGA, states’ dues “fund the association’s lobbying, communications,
management services, and a portion of general administration activities.”

NGA communications director Eric Wohlschlegel told the Atlantic that the group had responded and pushed back on the cited events and that it was focused “on policy, not politics.”

“The National Governors Association exists to bring governors from both parties together around shared priorities, and that mission hasn’t changed,” Wohlschlegel said. “Every public statement NGA issues reflects bipartisan consensus.”

“So far this year, all but one statement has had that consensus, and when governors don’t agree, we simply don’t issue one,” he added. “That’s how we preserve our role as a bipartisan convener—a principle we won’t compromise.”

Polis spokesman Conor Cahill said the Colorado governor was honored to pursue policy priorities at the group and defended it.

“During this polarizing time, bipartisan organizations are needed more than ever, and NGA must continue to demonstrate value to all governors and effectively communicate governors’ opinions on various matters with the public and the federal government,” Cahill told The Atlantic.

MINNESOTA STATE SENATOR WILL RESIGN FOLLOWING BURGLARY CONVICTION DESPITE EXPECTED APPEAL

Walz is a leading figure in the anti-Trump movement and said earlier this month that the president “brings out the worst in people, and he brings out the worst in me.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to Walz’s and Kelly’s offices for comment but did not receive a response.