Greenland talk

Bipartisan bill targets Trump’s Greenland talk

The resolution warns the White House that any military action would require Congress’ approval.

Joe Gould

A bipartisan group of lawmakers will introduce a resolution Thursday that repudiates President Donald Trump’s threats to seize Greenland and warns that any U.S. military action involving the Danish territory would require Congress’s approval.

State of play: The nonbinding measure is led by Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.). It affirms U.S. respect for the sovereignty of Denmark and Greenland and contradicts recent statements by senior administration officials suggesting the United States could seek control of Greenland, including by force.

What they’re saying: “This is actually making us less secure,” Gallego said Wednesday of the administration’s stance. “By us attacking or claiming to attack a NATO ally, we are essentially destroying one of the most secure partnerships and alliances that we need to counteract Russia and to counteract China.”

War powers: The move comes as Democrats separately press a privileged war powers resolution from Gallego that would require congressional authorization before any U.S. military action tied to Greenland. That measure, still under review by Democratic leaders, would force lawmakers to go on the record as Trump expands his use of military power and unnerves U.S. allies.

Diplomatic blitz: Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland remains after meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The two sides, however, agreed to create a working group to discuss ways to work through differences as Trump continues to call for a U.S. takeover of Denmark’s Arctic territory of Greenland.

Rasmussen and Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, met Wednesday with Gallego, Murkowski and other lawmakers who rebuked Trump’s pressure campaign.

“I hope it’s ultimately not necessary,” Murkowski said of a potential war powers resolution. “But we are operating in times where we’re having conversations about things that we never thought even possible. To use the name Greenland in the context of a war powers resolution, to me, is absolutely stunning.”

Messaging bill: While the sense of Congress resolution is nonbinding, its sponsors hope it will keep the spotlight on the split between Congress and the White House. The effort follows the administration’s recent military operation in Venezuela, which intensified concerns among allies about the Trump administration’s willingness to act unilaterally.

The resolution states that any change to Greenland’s status or any use of U.S. military force there must comply with U.S. treaty obligations and be approved by Congress.

It also invokes the North Atlantic Treaty, noting that NATO members are required to resolve disputes peacefully and refrain from threats or the use of force against one another. It highlights America’s long defense presence in Greenland as part of security cooperation with Denmark and Greenland, particularly in the Arctic and North Atlantic.

“It’s time for Congress to wake up and do its job,” Khanna said in a statement. “This is a moral test for America and we have a responsibility to keep Americans out of dumb foreign wars and honor our relationships with our NATO allies.”