Bipartisan Bill Would Cut Trump Off at the Pass on Greenland

US lawmakers are moving to place legal limits on any attempt by President Trump to assert control over Greenland, amid concerns about NATO unity. A bipartisan pair of senators has introduced the NATO Unity Protection Act, which would bar the Pentagon and State Department from using federal funds to “blockade, occupy, annex, or otherwise assert control” over the territory of any NATO member. The proposal follows repeated comments by President Trump suggesting the United States should take control of Greenland, including the possibility of using force, according to Al Jazeera.

Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark and is covered by NATO’s collective defense framework. Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire said the bill is designed to ensure US taxpayer dollars are not used to weaken NATO or violate treaty commitments. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska emphasized that NATO represents the world’s strongest defensive alliance and said Congress must clearly reject any notion of the US turning its power against its own allies.

Jessica Peake, an international law expert at UCLA, said the legislation could limit a president’s ability to act unilaterally in ways that threaten NATO, though she noted President Trump has previously shown a willingness to challenge congressional authority. Trump has argued that US control of Greenland is critical to national security, warning that China or Russia could seek influence there if the US does not. Greenland’s strategic Arctic location, along with its fossil fuel reserves and critical mineral deposits, has made it a growing focus of global interest.

European leaders have responded strongly to Trump’s remarks. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the territory aligns with Denmark, NATO, and the European Union—not the United States—if forced to choose. President Trump responded Tuesday, according to the AP, saying, “I disagree with [Nielsen]. I don’t know who he is. I don’t know anything about him. But that’s going to be a big problem for him.”

Polling cited by the Danish newspaper Berlingske shows that about 85% of Greenland’s roughly 57,000 residents oppose becoming part of the United States. Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers are scheduled to meet with US officials in Washington on Wednesday. Meanwhile, a Republican member of Congress has introduced separate legislation proposing that Greenland become America’s 51st state, according to CBS News.

original source