In state after state, Governors are getting stuff done. They are streamlining permitting, building workforce partnerships, expanding energy production, and attacking the costs that make everyday life harder for working families. The 2026 NGA Winter Meeting brings that collective momentum into focus, organized around a simple but demanding idea: growth has to be affordable, and it has to be done right.
The Winter Meeting provides an important forum for Governors to learn from one another’s successes. When one state or territory pioneers a new workforce training partnership with industry or streamlines a regulatory process, other Governors can adapt those lessons to their own contexts rather than reinventing the wheel. This peer-to-peer exchange is particularly valuable because Governors face similar challenges but operate in different political and economic landscapes that demand tailored solutions. By sharing what works, Governors can accelerate progress in their home states while building the relationships and trust that enable them to tackle regional and national challenges together.
Governors will discuss how to position their states to capture the potential of AI while ensuring communities are protected both online and in their utility bills. Governors will talk in depth on affordability, not just in energy, but in everything, from the cost of business licensing to housing. We will hear what Governors are doing to expand what we need more of, energy, housing and workers, and reduce what is holding us back, like wasteful processes or spending.
For one example of how Governors are working to get it done fast and right, we can look at the approach Governors are taking on permitting reform. States across the country have demonstrated that streamlining approval processes, consolidating reviews, and setting clear timelines can dramatically reduce the time and cost of building everything, from energy projects to housing. Governors have shown that cutting red tape is about cutting confusion and delay, not cutting corners on safety or accountability.
Governor Stitt will highlight how the path to reigniting the American Dream runs through our nation’s states and territories where Governors are turning priorities into action, ensuring opportunity reaches every corner and person in America. This includes serving those to whom we owe so much, with NGA Vice Chair Maryland Governor Wes Moore leading a discussion on The Power of Service, and how Governors can continue to help military families and veterans achieve the American Dream.
As our Nation celebrates our 250th Anniversary, Governors will do what they have done from the beginning, working with the consent of the governed, to champion Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. When Governors gather, it isn’t just about sharing ideas; it’s about working together to make opportunities possible and restoring the fundamental promise that hard work leads to a better life.
