F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft from the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing land at Pituffik Space Force Base, Greenland, on Oct. 7, 2025. (Erica Paculan/U.S. Air Force)
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House is hoping to stymie President Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland with a new bill that prohibits the use of federal funds for the invasion of NATO allies and territories.
The legislation does not name specific countries but appears aimed at preventing Trump from carrying out his threat to seize Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark that Trump says he wants to acquire the “easy way” or the “hard way.”
Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass., is leading the legislation alongside fellow Democrats Steny Hoyer, of Maryland, and Brendan Boyle, of Pennsylvania. Rep. Don Bacon, of Nebraska, a former Air Force officer who is not running for reelection, is the only Republican co-sponsor of the bill.
“This should be unnecessary, but I’ve sponsored this bill because the Administration keeps threatening Greenland & Denmark,” Bacon wrote on X on Tuesday. “I served in NATO and served with many Europeans in Iraq & Afghanistan. The Admin is wrong to treat our Allies so poorly & foolishly.”
The White House has said it is considering a range of options to take control of the island, including military force.
On Tuesday, however, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., dismissed the possibility of a military takeover of Greenland, describing it as a “media narrative.”
“I don’t think anybody is considering that,” he said. “It’s not been in any briefing I’ve been in, and I go to all of them.”
Trump has said he would like to make a deal to acquire Greenland, arguing its strategic location in the Arctic and abundance of critical minerals is vital to national security. But Stephen Miller, a top aide to Trump, has suggested the U.S. could take the island by force.
“Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland,” he said in an interview with CNN this month, also noting that, “We live in a world … that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power.”
Such rhetoric has raised alarm in Europe and among U.S. lawmakers in the aftermath of the American military raid on Venezuela that captured Nicolás Maduro.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned last week that an American takeover of Greenland would mark the end of NATO, a mutual-defense military alliance, as well as the post-World War II security order.
Keating on Monday called NATO the foundation for peace between the U.S. and Europe for nearly 80 years and said he appreciated growing lawmaker support for his legislation — the bill had 26 co-sponsors as of Tuesday.
Another measure was also introduced Monday by Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., to bar the use of federal funding to acquire Greenland in any way. The legislation also prohibits increases to the U.S. military’s presence on the island, now numbering about 150 personnel, without congressional authorization.
“Greenland is not for sale, not for conquest, and not a bargaining chip,” Gomez said in a statement on Tuesday. “This bill draws a clear line: Congress will not fund Donald Trump’s imperial fantasies.”
A senior Greenland official on Tuesday said it is “unfathomable” that the U.S. was discussing taking over a NATO ally and urged the Trump administration to listen to the wishes of Greenlanders, who are “very, very worried” about a potential American takeover.
About 57,000 people live in Greenland, with Denmark providing for their defense.
Some lawmakers have voiced support for Trump’s ambitions, pointing to growing military and commercial competition in the Arctic with Russia and China. Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., introduced legislation on Monday to annex or acquire Greenland and take steps to make it the 51st state.
“Whoever controls Greenland controls key Arctic shipping lines and the security architecture protecting the United States,” Fine said in a statement. “America cannot leave that future in the hands of regimes that despise our values and seek to undermine our security.”
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to meet with the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland on Wednesday to discuss Trump’s interest in Greenland. Meanwhile, a congressional delegation of mostly Democrats will travel to Denmark later this week to show support for the U.S.-Denmark relationship.
“At a time of increasing international instability, we need to draw closer to our allies, not drive them away,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., who is leading the trip. “This delegation will send a clear message that Congress is committed to NATO and our network of alliances.”
