1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to demand that Congress formally reassert its constitutional authority over foreign commerce and treaty oversight, and counter dangerous rhetoric that misrepresents sovereign allies as American possessions. On August 27, 2026, President Trump posted a graphic to his Truth Social account labeled “U.S. Territories,” grouping the flags of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands alongside actual U.S. territories like Puerto Rico and Guam. The same graphic included a map of the Strait of Hormuz labeled “new,” following earlier posts describing the strait as “NEW US Territory.” Micronesia and the Marshall Islands are sovereign republics and United Nations member states. Their Compacts of Free Association (COFA) are bilateral laws passed by Congress—not deeds of ownership. The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway governed by international maritime law, not a piece of land available to claim. A social media label does not change the legal status of either. This is not an isolated post. The administration has separately pursued outright annexation of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark and a NATO ally, including reported proposals to offer cash payments to Greenlandic residents to encourage secession. Denmark and Greenland’s leaders responded jointly that national borders and sovereignty “are rooted in international law” and that a country cannot simply be annexed, even on national security grounds. When the President of the United States labels sovereign allies as American territory, congressional silence is read abroad as official consensus. Congress holds the constitutional authority here, not the executive alone: Article I, Section 8 gives Congress the power to regulate foreign commerce and to define and punish offenses against the law of nations, and COFA itself was approved as ordinary federal legislation under that same lawmaking power - a reminder that Congress, not a social media post, is what actually defines these relationships. I urge you to take three specific actions: - Pass a Bipartisan Concurrent Resolution: Formally reaffirm U.S. recognition of the sovereignty, borders, and independence of the Freely Associated States, Greenland, and our other allies and partners. - Hold Committee Oversight Hearings: Direct the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations Committees to convene hearings examining the diplomatic and national security risks of these territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific, the Arctic, and the Strait of Hormuz. - Issue Formal Diplomatic Reassurances: Instruct the Department of State to transmit official communications to our Pacific and transatlantic partners confirming that U.S. policy recognizes their full sovereignty. Our alliances depend on trust and adherence to the rule of law. Congress must make our official constitutional position unmistakable, in word and in law.