Governor Parson Attends National Governors Association Winter Meeting

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

 — – Governor Parson joined a bi-partisan group of 48 Governors this past weekend at the National Governors Association (NGA) Winter Meeting in Washington D.C. The Governor began his weekend with his first meeting as a newly appointed member of the Council of Governors.

“I appreciate President Trump’s appointment to the Council of Governors to help build and strengthen the partnership between the federal and state governments,” Governor Parson said. “The Council plays an important role in providing bipartisan advice from the states to the White House on vital matters of national defense, homeland security, and disaster response. I am excited to work with this team of Governors on finding effective solutions for all Americans.” 

The Governor had the opportunity over the weekend to hear from President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as well as other top administration officials and cabinet members, on a variety of critical issues where collaborative partnerships between states and the federal government are key to moving our nation forward.

“I enjoyed getting the opportunity to hear from the President and other federal leaders about how the federal government can partner with the states on workforce development, infrastructure, and policies that continue to put more Americans back to work,” Governor Parson said. “Missouri’s continued job growth and low unemployment is encouraging, and we are confident that by focusing on our workforce development initiatives Missouri can get ahead of other states in preparing our nation’s workers for the jobs of tomorrow.”

On Monday, the Governor attended a breakout session hosted at the White House focused on workforce development. The President and administration officials discussed ways the federal government can partner with states on workforce development and continue the economy’s historic job growth. The Governor also had the opportunity to hear about the Trump Administration’s workforce development initiatives, legislative priorities, and its Pledge to America’s Workers. Along with the President’s efforts, the Governor is focused on initiatives to hire, reskill, and educate Missouri students and workers through programs such as Fast Track and Missouri One Start. Officials from the Trump administration in attendance at the session included Larry Kudlow, Director of the National Economic Council; Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President; and Kevin Hassett, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.

In addition, the Governor also attended a White House breakout session on Monday focused on ideas to improve school safety. The President and his administration have focused on this important topic in part through establishing the Federal Commission on School Safety (FCSS), which delivered a report with more than 90 recommendations on how to make the nation’s schools safer. The Governor was able to hear about federal resources available for schools and communities to improve school safety and how the Trump Administration can assist states in implementing policy recommendations from the FCSS report. He looks forward to working with state leaders on ideas to improve school safety in Missouri and is preparing an announcement for next week on this topic with Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe. Trump administration officials in attendance included Attorney General Bill Barr, Department of Education Secretary Betsy Devos, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The Governor also had the opportunity to meet with both Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta. His meeting with Secretary Azar focused on their shared commitments to give Missouri greater flexibility to improve health outcomes and address the opioid crisis through improved data gathering and prevention. His time with Secretary Acosta focused on continuing workforce development efforts, such as license reciprocity, to better prepare Americans for the historic number of current open jobs and continuing to ensure state and federal policy is conducive for America’s job creators.

A link to the NGA release recapping the Winter Meeting can be found here: https://www.nga.org/news/press-releases/winter-meeting-by-the-numbers-48-governors-1911-attendees-convene-in-washington/