LANSING, Mich. — President Joe Biden has appointed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the Council of Governors.
The bipartisan group of governors addresses matters of homeland defense, the National Guard, disaster response and other safety and security issues, according to a news release Thursday.
Whitmer will serve a two-year term.
“I am honored that President Biden appointed me to the Council of Governors,” Whitmer said. “Since I took office in 2018, I have guided Michigan through multiple disaster response efforts, including extreme polar weather and energy shortages, a 500-year flood and the COVID-19 pandemic. I welcome the opportunity to work across the aisle to put our nation’s security first and make a difference in the lives of Americans.”
The Council of Governors was created by the National Defense Authorization Act back in 2008 and was formally established by an executive order in 2010.
It’s intended to serve as a mechanism for governors and key federal officials to address matters pertaining to the National Guard, homeland defense and defense support to civil authorities.
The council consists of 10 governors appointed by the president – five from each party – with two governors serving as co-chairs.
The executive order specifically names a number of federal participants in the council, including the secretaries of defense and homeland security, the president’s homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, the commander of U.S. Northern Command and the chief of the National Guard Bureau, among others.
Biden is naming two current council members, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as co-chairs of the group, according to the Associated Press.
