WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican lawmakers are working to curb President Donald Trump’s threat to seize Greenland, with some expressing their strongest opposition to nearly everything the Trump administration has done since taking office.
They gave speeches last week on the importance of NATO. They introduced bills aimed at preventing the United States from attacking Denmark. Some of them traveled to Copenhagen to meet with their Danish counterparts.
But it’s unclear whether that will be enough, as the president continues to insist he will take control of the Arctic islands. That has raised fears about the end of NATO — the decades-old alliance that has been a pillar of U.S. strength in Europe and around the world — and raised questions on Capitol Hill and around the world about what Trump’s aggressive, go-it-alone foreign policy means for world order.
“When the most powerful military nation on earth threatens your territory over and over again through its president, you start to take it seriously,” Sen. Chris Coons told The Associated Press.
He said the Delaware Democrat organized the bipartisan trip to Denmark to “cool things down a little bit” and further discuss a mutual military agreement in the Arctic. Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska accompanied a handful of Democrats on the trip. Separately, Republican lawmakers attended meetings with the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland in Washington last week to discuss the security deal.
But Trump clearly had other ideas. He said on Saturday he would impose a 10% import tax on goods from eight European countries starting in February due to their opposition to his Greenland plan.
Trump said on social media that “the need for acquisition is especially important” because of the existence of modern weapons systems.
Resistance to Trump’s Greenland plan
Leading Republicans have made clear they believe seizing Greenland by force is impossible. But so far they have avoided direct accusations that Trump owns the island.
Tillis said on social media that Trump’s tariff plan is “bad for the United States, bad for American companies, and bad for American allies.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters Thursday that “there’s certainly no interest in some of the options that have been discussed or considered.”
Thune’s former Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell, warned in a speech that an attempt to seize Greenland would “shatter the trust of allies” and tarnish Trump’s legacy with disastrous foreign policy decisions.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers see an obvious path to bolstering U.S. interests in Greenland while keeping ties with NATO ally Denmark intact.
Coons said that in a meeting with lawmakers on Thursday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lok Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt discussed how the two countries could work together to develop key mineral industries and military cooperation. Diplomats also told senators there was no evidence of Chinese or Russian activity in Greenland.
Trump has raised concerns across Europe by raising the argument that the United States should occupy Greenland before China or Russia do. Troops from several countries have been sent to Greenland to support Denmark.
“Our NATO allies are being forced to divert attention and resources to Greenland, a dynamic that threatens the stability of the world’s most powerful alliance of democracies and plays directly into Putin’s hands,” Murkowski said on social media.
What can Congress do?
Lawmakers are considering some options to avoid a military attack on Greenland. Still, the Trump administration has shown little willingness to get congressional approval before taking military action.
Lawmakers, including Republicans like Murkowski, are pushing legislation that would prohibit Defense Department funds from being used to attack or occupy territory belonging to other NATO members without their consent.
The Alaska senator also suggested Congress take action to roll back Trump’s tariffs. Murkowski and several other Republicans have helped pass resolutions last year aimed at rolling back global tariffs, but the legislation has not gained traction in the House. They would also need Trump’s signature or two-thirds support in both chambers to override his veto.
Democrats also found some appeal in the War Powers Resolution, which was designed to force the president to obtain congressional approval before engaging in hostilities. Republicans narrowly defeated a resolution last week that would have barred Trump from attacking Venezuela again, and Democrats believe there may be more Republican support for a resolution that would apply to Greenland.
“I’m aware of these war powers resolutions, and they do put some pressure on the Republican Party,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who has forced votes on several similar resolutions. He said the strategy also forces the Trump administration to provide lawmakers with briefings and commitments in order to gain congressional approval before deploying troops.
Still, in rejecting the Venezuela war powers resolution on Wednesday, Republican leaders argued the legislation should be left out because the Trump administration said no U.S. troops are currently stationed in Venezuela.
The argument could set a precedent for future war powers resolutions, giving Republicans a way to avoid voting against Trump’s wishes.
“Without real action, it’s a moot point,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, said of the general war powers resolution. He also argued that the prospect of occupying Greenland over Danish objections was “nothing more than a hypothetical.”
Other Republicans expressed support for Trump’s insistence that the United States own Greenland, even as they downplayed the idea that the United States would seize it by force.
That leaves the strongest Republican opposition coming from a handful of members who will leave Congress next year.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, told the Omaha World-Herald that an invasion of Greenland would lead to Trump’s impeachment — which he was “inclined to” support.
Another retiring Republican, Tillis, directed criticism at Trump advisers such as White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
“The fact that a small group of ‘advisors’ are actively pushing for coercive action to seize allied territory is nothing short of foolish,” he said.
