A bipartisan group of lawmakers is introducing legislation to prevent President Donald Trump from taking action to invade a NATO country or territory, like Greenland.
“This is about our fundamental shared goals and our fundamental security, not just not just in Europe, but in the United States itself,” said Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.), who’s leading the legislation along with retiring centrist Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.). The lawmakers are starting to round up support for the legislation Monday night and hope more Republicans will join the effort, Keating said.
Keating said he thinks targeting funding is a stronger way to pressure the administration.
“War powers are important, but we’ve seen with Democratic and Republican presidents that that’s not as effective,” he said. “It’s hard to get around having no funds or not allowing personnel to do it.”
The new legislation comes as Hill Democrats search for ways to constrain further military action in Venezuela by the Trump administration after the ousting of President Nicolás Maduro. The Senate could clear a war powers measure on Venezuela later this week, though it faces an uncertain future in the House.
Trump officials are openly weighing options including military force to take Greenland, a Danish territory. Doing so would violate NATO’s Article V, which states an attack on one member is an attack on all of them, and could end the 76-year-old alliance. The prospect of military force has drawn a skeptical response from some top Republicans and universal opposition from Democrats.
In a letter to colleagues obtained by POLITICO, Keating told lawmakers “this legislation takes a clear stand against such action and further supports NATO allies and partners.”
Although the legislation doesn’t name any specific countries, it’s a clear reference to Trump’s threats against Greenland. The omission was deliberate, said Keating, who wanted to broaden the legislation’s focus. He said he met with the Danish Ambassador and the head of Greenland representation as the legislation came together.
“This isn’t just about Greenland. This is about our security,” Keating said.
Eric Bazail-Eimil contributed to this report.