Governors reassert control of National Guard

WASHINGTON — The nation's governors, protesting what they call an unprecedented shift in authority from the states to the federal government, will urge Congress today to block legislation that would allow the president to take control of National Guard forces in the event of a natural disaster or threat to homeland security.

In a sharply worded letter that was to be sent to Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress this morning, the governors ask that a House-Senate conference committee remove a provision included in the House-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act giving the president such authority.

"This provision was drafted without consultation or input from governors and represents an unprecedented shift in authority from governors as commanders of the Guard to the federal government," the governors state in the letter.

As of Sunday, 51 governors, including some from U.S. territories, had signed the letter.

The governors discovered the provision two weeks ago, and the effort to have it removed from the defense bill began at last week's National Governors Association summer meeting in Charleston, S.C.

At the meeting, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican, described the provision as one that "violates 200 years of American history." Governors see it as part of a broader effort by the federal government to diminish the sovereignty of the states.