Bipartisan Bill Would Block Unauthorized Military Action After Trump’s Greenland Remarks

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has introduced legislation intended to prevent any unauthorized military action by the president, a response to President Donald Trump’s repeated comments about acquiring Greenland. The proposal would restrict funding for military operations against U.S. allies and NATO members unless Congress provides explicit authorization.

Representative Bill Keating (D-Mass.) is leading the measure with Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.), among others, according to reporting from Politico. Keating and his co-sponsors are actively seeking additional backers from both parties to strengthen the bill’s chances.

Legislative Purpose and Rationale
The bill is designed to use Congress’s power of the purse to block unilateral military initiatives that could draw the United States into conflict with NATO partners or violate treaty commitments. Keating said the omission of Greenland’s name from the text was deliberate to give the measure broader application beyond any single dispute.

"This is about our fundamental shared goals and our fundamental security, not just in Europe, but in the United States itself," Keating told Politico.

Keating argued that restricting funds and personnel is a more direct check on unauthorized actions than relying solely on formal war powers debates: "It’s hard to get around having no funds or not allowing personnel to do it," he said.

Rep. Bill Keating said that, "this legislation takes a clear stand against such action and further supports NATO allies and partners."

Context And International Reaction
The measure follows heightened concern in Washington after public discussion by some administration officials about possible options involving Greenland. Lawmakers and analysts warn that any military attempt to seize or coerce control over a territory belonging to a NATO member could risk invoking Article V, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.

President Trump has been quoted saying: "We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not. Because if we don't do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we're not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor."

Greenlandic officials and Danish authorities pushed back. Greenlandic leaders reiterated that the self-governing island does not wish to become part of the United States: "We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders," they said, adding that Greenland’s future should be decided by its own people.

European leaders also signaled opposition. Leaders including Denmark’s prime minister and a group of other European heads of government signed a letter affirming: "Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland."

Related Congressional Efforts
The proposal comes as Congress considers other measures aimed at reasserting legislative authority over the use of force abroad. The Senate recently advanced a bipartisan resolution intended to limit the president’s ability to take further military action in Venezuela amid heightened tensions — an example of lawmakers using legislative checks to constrain unilateral military moves.

Political Reaction
Reaction in Congress has been mixed. Many Democrats oppose any effort to expand U.S. control over Greenland, while some Republicans have expressed interest in closer ties or other arrangements. Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) has proposed legislation exploring statehood for Greenland, while saying voluntary accession would be preferable.

Next Steps
Keating and co-sponsors are soliciting broader support and hope to attach or advance the measure to restrict funding for any unauthorized military action affecting U.S. allies and NATO members. The bill’s future will depend on how many lawmakers from both parties sign on and how leadership in the House and Senate choose to proceed.