Biden relaunches council of governors with bipartisan group

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks from the Governor’s Reception room at the State Capitol, to discuss the latest steps in his response to COVID-19, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP, Pool)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is relaunching the council of governors.

It’s an advisory board of governors and a number of key Cabinet secretaries and top administration officials focused on strengthening federal and state collaboration on major national security issues.

According to details shared first with The Associated Press on Thursday, Biden is appointing a bipartisan group of nine governors to the council, including seven new governors. He’s also naming two current council members, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as co-chairs of the group.