U.S. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski has warned that Congress could use its constitutional powers to prevent President Donald Trump from pursuing efforts to seize Greenland, citing the legislature’s control over federal spending.
Speaking in Copenhagen on Friday, following meetings with Danish and Greenlandic officials as part of a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers, Murkowski stressed that the United States has three independent branches of government, a message she said was crucial for Denmark to understand.
“In Congress, we have tools at our disposal under our constitutional authority, particularly the power of the purse through appropriations,” Murkowski told reporters, referring to Congress’s control over government funding.
The Alaska senator, a frequent critic of Trump, emphasized that Greenland — a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark — should be treated as an ally, not an asset.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, who also participated in the visit, said he intends to push legislation aimed at limiting Trump’s ability to act unilaterally. Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill designed to prevent the United States from invading a fellow NATO member, noting that Greenland, through Denmark, is part of the Atlantic Alliance.
While Congress has the authority to force votes restricting presidential war powers, previous attempts to curb Trump’s authority have failed, and the White House has argued that such measures would be unconstitutional even if passed.
Coons also challenged Trump’s national security justification for targeting Greenland, dismissing claims of imminent threats from China or Russia.
“Are there real, pressing threats to the security of Greenland from China and Russia? No, not today,” Coons said, describing Trump’s warnings about Russian and Chinese warships in the Arctic as “rhetoric rather than reality.”
Trump’s repeated threats to acquire Greenland have triggered a serious transatlantic diplomatic crisis, prompting emergency talks this week at the White House between U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt. European countries have since moved to increase their military presence in the Arctic region.
Despite the backlash, the White House confirmed that Trump remains focused on acquiring Greenland. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated this position following the high-level meeting.
On Friday, Trump escalated tensions further, warning that he “may impose tariffs on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland.”
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the situation as highly unusual from an international law perspective, stating that Russia would “watch together with the whole world” as developments unfold.
