With Colorado Gov. Jared Polis in attendance, the 2025 Western Governors’ Conference kicked off in Santa Fe on Monday, a two-day event that is expected to cover a variety of topics — from housing and healthcare to education and wildfire recovery.

Comprised of 22 governors from the western-most states, Polis, who chaired the association in 2023, said the group has a “unique ability to come together and get things done.”

“The West faces a variety of issues from dealing with wildfires and natural disasters, to managing our incredible public lands, pursuing low-cost renewable energy options and more,” Polis continued in a statement. “During this meeting, we are discussing some of the issues that matter most to Coloradans, including housing, education, agriculture and wildfire mitigation — issues we are delivering on for Coloradans. While we may not agree on every issue, we still manage to find a way to learn from each other to better support the people we serve.”

To kick off the summer conference, Polis, who is the current chair of the National Governor’s Association, will moderate a session focused on collaboration between the state and federal government to strengthen career pathways and prepare all students for good-paying jobs. Also attending is U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who is one of six cabinet members of the Trump administration showing up at the conference.

The White House Cabinet members who joined panel discussions on Monday and Tuesday included White House cabinet included  U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

Polis is also slated to join a roundtable discussion on housing solutions and increasing the supply of housing people can afford.

Housing has been a significant issue in Colorado. Over the last two years, the Colorado state legislature has passed laws to allow accessory dwelling units on private property and a policy that, sponsors hoped, would increase new condominium construction.

Polis will also be participating in discussions about ways to bolster agricultural production in Colorado across the western states, as well as on outdoors accessibility, land management opportunities and conservation efforts, wildfire mitigation, forestry workforce development and rural health care.