In a move that breaks with decades of tradition, the White House will host a gathering of governors tied to the National Governors Association (NGA) this month that includes only Republican state leaders. Democratic governors, including Maryland’s Wes Moore and Colorado’s Jared Polis, were not invited to the working session at the White House, and Moore says he also was uninvited to the associated dinner.

“This week, I learned that I was uninvited to this year’s National Governors Association dinner — a decades-long annual tradition meant to bring governors from both parties together,” Moore wrote on X.

Moore has been leading a redistricting effort in Maryland, which would eliminate the state’s only GOP seat.

Moore, the vice chair of the NGA and the only black governor in the United States, said the exclusion felt personal. “As the nation’s only black governor, I can’t ignore that being singled out for exclusion from this bipartisan tradition carries an added weight — whether that was the intent or not,” he wrote.

The NGA, which includes governors from all 50 states and has historically been bipartisan, confirmed that the White House meeting “will no longer be part of the association’s official schedule.” The group added, “No NGA resources will be used to support transportation for this activity.”

Interim NGA Director Brandon Tatum criticized the change in tone. “The bipartisan White House governors meeting is an important tradition, and we are disappointed in the administration’s decision to make it a partisan occasion this year,” Tatum said. “To disinvite individual governors to the White House sessions undermines an important opportunity for federal-state collaboration.”

Tatum also highlighted the role of governors as partners with the federal government on shared issues. “At this moment in our nation’s history, it is critical that institutions continue to stand for unity, dignity and constructive engagement,” he said.

The White House defended its invitation process. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, “These are White House events and the president can invite whomever he wants.” She added that Democrats had been invited to some dinner events and that the wider narrative was “a non-story.”

Moore’s exclusion comes as tensions between the governor and President Donald Trump have risen over policy disagreements and federal-state disputes, particularly over public safety funding.

Polis’ office called the snub “disappointing,” but did not immediately elaborate on whether he had plans to attend other NGA sessions.

The White House gathering was expected to coincide with the NGA winter meeting in Washington from Feb. 19 to 21. Governors traditionally meet with the president and administration officials to discuss issues ranging from disaster response to energy policy.

This year’s adjustment signals a shift in how the White House approaches these exchanges, and it raises questions about the future of bipartisan forums between state and federal leaders.

As Moore put it on X, the decision was “especially confounding” given recent bipartisan cooperation with the administration.