Republicans and Democrats are trying to contain Trump's Greenland
aggression. Will it be enough?
[January 19, 2026]
By STEPHEN GROVES
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican lawmakers are scrambling to contain
President Donald Trump's threats of taking possession of Greenland, with
some showing the most strident opposition to almost anything the Trump
administration has done since taking office.
They gave floor speeches on the importance of NATO last week. They
introduced bills meant to prevent the U.S. from attacking Denmark. And
several traveled to Copenhagen to meet with Danish counterparts.
But it's not clear that will be enough, as the president continues to
insist that he will take control of the Arctic island. It's raised fears
of an end to NATO — a decades-old alliance that has been a pillar of
American strength in Europe and around the globe — and raised questions
on Capitol Hill and around the world about what Trump's aggressive,
go-it-alone foreign policy will mean for world order.
“When the most powerful military nation on earth threatens your
territory through its president over and over and over again, you start
to take it seriously,” Sen. Chris Coons told The Associated Press.
The Delaware Democrat organized the bipartisan trip to Denmark to “bring
the temperature down a bit,” he said, as well as further talks about
mutual military agreements in the Arctic. Republican Sens. Thom Tillis
of North Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska accompanied a handful of
Democrats on the trip. Also, Republican lawmakers joined in meetings in
Washington last week with the Danish foreign minister and his
Greenlandic counterpart where they discussed security agreements.
Yet it's clear Trump has other ideas. He said Saturday he will charge a
10% import tax starting in February on goods from eight European nations
because of their opposition to his Greenland plans.
Trump said on social media that because of modern weapons systems “the
need to ACQUIRE is especially important.”
The pushback to Trump's Greenland plans
Key Republicans have made clear they think that forcefully taking
Greenland is out of the question. But so far, they've avoided directly
rebuking Trump for his talk of possessing the island.
Tillis on social media called Trumps tariff plans “bad for America, bad
for American businesses, and bad for America’s allies.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Thursday that
“there’s certainly not an appetite here for some of the options that
have been talked about or considered.”
In a floor speech, Thune's predecessor as Republican leader, Sen. Mitch
McConnell, warned that an attempt to seize Greenland would “shatter the
trust of allies" and tarnish Trump's legacy with a disastrous foreign
policy decision.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike see an obvious path to
bolstering American interests in Greenland while keeping the
relationship with NATO-ally Denmark intact.
In a meeting with lawmakers Thursday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke
Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt discussed how
the countries could work together to develop critical mineral industries
and military cooperation, Coons said. The diplomats also told the
senators there is no evidence of Chinese or Russian activity in
Greenland.
Trump has made the argument that the U.S. should take Greenland before
China or Russia do, prompting worry across Europe. Troops from several
nations have been sent to Greenland in support of Denmark.
Murkowski said on social media that “our NATO allies are being forced to
divert attention and resources to Greenland, a dynamic that plays
directly into Putin’s hands by threatening the stability of the
strongest coalition of democracies the world has ever seen.”
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People protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of
the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP
Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
What can Congress do?
Lawmakers are looking at a few options for taking a military attack
on Greenland off the table. Still, the Trump administration has
shown little if any willingness to get congressional approval before
taking military action.
Lawmakers, including Republicans like Murkowski, are pushing
legislation that would prohibit Department of Defense funds from
being used to attack or occupy territory that belongs to other NATO
members without their consent.
The Alaska senator also suggested Congress could act to nullify
Trump's tariffs. Murkowski and several other Republicans have
already helped pass resolutions last year meant to undo tariffs
around the globe, but those pieces of legislation did not gain
traction in the House. They would have also required Trump's
signature or support from two-thirds of both chambers to override
his veto.
Democrats have also found some traction with war powers resolutions
meant to force the president to get congressional approval before
engaging in hostilities. Republicans last week narrowly defeated one
such resolution that would prohibit Trump from attacking Venezuela
again, and Democrats think there could potentially be more
Republicans who would support one applying to Greenland.
“What I’ve noticed is these war powers resolutions, they do put some
pressure on Republicans,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat
who has forced votes on several similar resolutions. He said the
tactic has also compelled the Trump administration to provide
lawmakers with briefings and commitments to get congressional
approval before deploying troops.
Still, while dismissing the Venezuela war powers resolution on
Wednesday, Republican leaders made the argument that the legislation
should be ruled out of order because the Trump administration has
said there are currently no U.S. troops on the ground in Venezuela.
That argument may set a precedent for future war powers resolutions,
giving Republicans a way to avoid voting against Trump's wishes.
“If you don't have boots on the ground, it's a moot point,” said
Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, about war powers
resolutions in general. He also argued that the prospect of taking
Greenland over the objections of Denmark is nothing "more than a
hypothetical.”
Other Republicans have expressed support for Trump's insistence that
the U.S. possess Greenland, though they have downplayed the idea
that the U.S. would take it by force.
That's left the strongest objections on the Republican side of the
aisle coming from a handful of lawmakers who are leaving Congress
next year.
Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, told The Omaha World Herald
that an invasion of Greenland would lead to Trump's impeachment —
something he would “lean” towards supporting.
Tillis, another retiring Republican, has directed his criticism at
Trump advisors like White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen
Miller.
“The fact that a small handful of ‘advisors’ are actively pushing
for coercive action to seize territory of an ally is beyond stupid,”
he said.
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