Confronted with U.S. President Donald Trump’s escalating threats of a hostile takeover of Greenland, Congress seems more likely to proceed sidelining itself after demurring from utilizing a must-pass protection spending invoice to set down agency markers about what’s and isn’t allowable in the case of utilizing U.S. army pressure to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
The textual content of the final package of fiscal 2026 spending payments, which incorporates the all-important protection spending measure, didn’t embody any point out of NATO or Greenland when it was launched Tuesday by senior Republican and Democratic negotiators from the Home and Senate.
Confronted with U.S. President Donald Trump’s escalating threats of a hostile takeover of Greenland, Congress seems more likely to proceed sidelining itself after demurring from utilizing a must-pass protection spending invoice to set down agency markers about what’s and isn’t allowable in the case of utilizing U.S. army pressure to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
The textual content of the final package of fiscal 2026 spending payments, which incorporates the all-important protection spending measure, didn’t embody any point out of NATO or Greenland when it was launched Tuesday by senior Republican and Democratic negotiators from the Home and Senate.
Particularly, the laws contained no prohibition on using federal funds to assault a NATO ally, as Trump repeatedly appeared to threaten to do that month as regards to Denmark, along with threatening tariffs in opposition to European international locations that oppose his push to amass Greenland.
As an alternative, the protection spending measure’s accompanying joint explanatory statement, which explains the outcomes of invoice negotiations between the Home and Senate, features a transient part on “ironclad” congressional help for NATO.
“The settlement helps NATO’s renewed focus to increase the levels of military investment by every member state, most just lately the June 2025 summit at The Hague. … These achievements will proceed to make sure that it stays crucial and efficient army alliance in historical past,” the assertion reads. The “settlement underscores Congress’ ironclad help for NATO and all its thirty-two member states.”
That bland affirmation for NATO was touted by Senate Democrats of their summary of the bill, whereas Home Republicans skipped any point out of NATO or Greenland of their own summary.
However at the same time as many congressional Republicans need to elide dialogue of Trump’s threats in opposition to a NATO ally, the U.S. president continued to maintain his private fixation with seizing Greenland entrance and heart on the worldwide stage with a high-profile Wednesday speech on the World Financial Discussion board in Davos, Switzerland.
“We’d like it for strategic nationwide safety and worldwide safety. This monumental unsecured island is definitely a part of North America, on the northern frontier of the Western Hemisphere,” Trump mentioned in his remarks, the place he additionally criticized at size the choice by Washington to return Greenland to Copenhagen’s management after World Battle II. After Denmark fell to Nazi Germany, america took control of Greenland to stop the Nazis from seizing it.
“That’s our territory. It’s due to this fact a core nationwide safety curiosity of america of America, and actually, it’s been our coverage for lots of of years to stop outdoors threats from coming into our hemisphere,” Trump mentioned.
Notably, Trump appeared to take the specter of army pressure to amass Greenland off the desk, saying “folks thought I’d use pressure. However I don’t have to make use of pressure. I don’t need to use pressure. I gained’t use pressure.”
Even so, the shortage of any handcuffs within the newest protection laws on Trump’s capability to make use of the army to grab Greenland is putting for the truth that a number of sturdy Republican critics of his Greenland coverage are prime congressional appropriators. They embody former Senate Majority Chief Mitch McConnell, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Sen. John Kennedy, and Home Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole.
Trump’s insistence on annexing Greenland and Europe’s reaction to the threat to the territorial sovereignty of one in every of its Nordic members have dominated headlines within the final week because the U.S. chief’s rationale for seizing the Arctic territory has modified on a near-daily foundation. The U.S. president has pushed doubtful arguments about the necessity to higher defend Greenland in opposition to potential aggression by China or Russia. He has additionally justified his push on a need to amass Greenland’s critical minerals to learn america and on his wounded pride over being handed over by Norwegian judges of their awarding of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
It’s nonetheless doable that U.S. lawmakers, notably within the Senate, will use the modification course of to attempt to safe ground votes on Trump’s capability to make use of the army or different measures in need of pressure to grab Greenland. Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego has already launched such an amendment.
However on different NATO and Ukraine-related issues, lawmakers have been extra keen to go in opposition to the administration’s needs.
The laws gives $400 million in annual safety help for Ukraine, the identical quantity licensed by the latest fiscal 2026 protection authorization regulation, Democrats famous.
It additionally appropriates $200 million for the Baltic Safety Initiative, which Congress established in 2020 to direct Protection Division safety cooperation with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The Trump administration had proposed eliminating funding for the Baltic initiative. And the invoice gives roughly $48.5 million above the administration’s request to help U.S. European Command’s “efforts to broaden cooperation with allies and companions,” in line with the explanatory assertion.
Federal funding runs out on Jan. 30, giving lawmakers a brief window to clear the remaining fiscal 2026 spending payments, which additionally embody a funding measure for the State Division and associated overseas help applications.
