1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

As you begin work on the FY2027 legislative calendar, I am writing to urge your leadership in addressing the administration’s escalating rhetoric regarding the status of Greenland. As a senior member of the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, you understand better than most that American security depends on the stability of our alliances and the predictability of our foreign policy. The suggestion that the United States might unilaterally "take" or annex the territory of a NATO ally is a direct threat to the principle of collective defense that has kept the peace for over seventy years. Denmark is a foundational partner. If we signal to the world that our commitment to an ally’s sovereignty is conditional on territorial concessions, we don't just alienate a friend—we signal to Russia and China that the Western alliance is fractured and open for exploitation. Furthermore, as a former jurist, I believe you would agree that our system of government does not permit the Executive to treat foreign land as a personal acquisition. Under Article I, Section 8, the authority to govern territories and regulate foreign commerce belongs to Congress. To allow these statements to go unchallenged is to accept a significant erosion of the Senate’s constitutional role. With the FY2027 NDAA process beginning this February, I ask that you work with your colleagues to: Protect NATO Credibility: Reaffirm through a formal Senate resolution that the U.S. remains committed to the territorial integrity of all NATO members and that our presence in the Arctic remains a matter of cooperative diplomacy. Exercise Intelligence Oversight: Request a formal briefing on the potential blowback this rhetoric has on our intelligence-sharing agreements and our existing strategic access at the Pituffik Space Base. Legislative Guardrails: Include language in the upcoming defense and state department appropriations bills that prohibits the use of funds for any non-consensual acquisition of territory. As you advised the Biden administration in July 2024, deterrence is maintained through strength and consistency. We cannot effectively lead the free world or counter Chinese expansion in the Arctic if we are perceived as a threat to our own allies. I trust you will continue to be a voice for a steady, principled, and constitutional American foreign policy.