Murkowski part of congressional delegation visiting Denmark as Trump continues to threaten Greenland
- Mark Sabbatini
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
Alaska Republican who co-chairs Senate Arctic Caucus argues for ‘focus on continued partnership rather than possession’ in floor speech
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
A bipartisan congressional group of at least nine members, including U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is scheduled to visit Denmark beginning Friday in what is being described as an attempt to show unity between that country and the U.S. as President Donald Trump escalates his threats to seize Greenland.
Murkowski, co-chair of the Senate Arctic Caucus, is among lawmakers strongly criticizing Trump’s threats, delivering a 22-minute floor speech last Thursday arguing for a "focus on continued partnership rather than possession."
"There is a great deal we need to be doing," she said, referring to a crowded national agenda. "But there is one thing we should not be doing — one thing we should not be spending our time on — and that is any effort to annex Greenland. That includes taking it by force, coercion, pressure, threat, or any related method. This is not an issue I ever expected to raise on the floor of the Senate."
Trump, on Sunday, continued to assert "one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland," according to NBC News. He has threatened to either take possession by force, or to "buy" it via payments to citizens there or other means.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned a U.S. takeover of Greenland would mark the end of NATO — an alliance Trump has been harshly critical of and threatened to withdraw from. Last week Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from 66 international organizations, including the United Nations‘ population agency and climate treaty.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and the leaders of the four other parties in the territory’s parliament issued a joint statement on Friday reiterating that Greenland’s future must be decided by its people and emphasizing their “wish that the United States’ contempt for our country ends,” according to the Associated Press.
Other congressional members participating in the trip include Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Dick Durbin, D-Ill. and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Reps. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., and Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., according to the online political website The Hill.
Murkowski is also among five Republicans who joined Democrats in passing 52-47 vote to advance a war powers resolution seeking to limit Trump’s ability to unilaterally pursue actions such as seizing control of the government and oil in Venezuela.
Trump responded to the vote by stating in a social media message the five Republicans voting for the resolution "should never be elected to office again.”
Alaska’s other senator, Republican Dan Sullivan, opposed the resolution.
“In both Democrat and Republican administrations, Senator Sullivan has consistently voted against limiting the authority of the President as Commander-in-Chief to protect the national security interests of the country,” a prepared statement from his office notes. “More specifically, he believes that under Article II of the Constitution, President Trump as commander-in-chief has the authority to defend our homeland, from Venezuelan narco-terrorists, just as President George H.W. Bush did when he ordered the full military invasion of Panama in 1989 to remove the drug-trafficking dictator Manuel Noriega."
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
