1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

As the 119th Congress begins its work on the FY2027 legislative cycle, I am writing to you as a fellow conservative who is deeply concerned by the administration's recent rhetoric regarding the status of Greenland. As Chairman of the Commerce Committee and a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, you are uniquely positioned to ensure that American policy in the Arctic remains grounded in the Constitution rather than executive impulse. ​For any constitutional originalist, the suggestion that the Executive Branch can unilaterally seek to "take" or annex foreign territory should be a non-starter. Under Article I, Section 8, the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and oversee the governance of territories belongs to Congress. Allowing the President to bypass the Senate’s "Advice and Consent" role on matters of territorial sovereignty would be a historic surrender of your chamber’s authority. ​From a strategic and commercial perspective, Greenland is already a vital partner. Through the 1951 Defense Agreement, we maintain essential access for our Coast Guard and space assets—jurisdictions that fall directly under your committee's oversight. Threatening the sovereignty of a NATO ally like Denmark puts these existing commercial and security arrangements at risk. It creates an opening for China and Russia to frame themselves as the "stable" powers in the Arctic, while we alienate the very partners who currently facilitate American maritime and aerospace dominance in the region. ​As you begin the FY2027 NDAA and Department of Commerce budget reviews this February, I urge you to lead on the following: ​Protect Arctic Commerce: Reaffirm through committee oversight that American interests in the Arctic are best served through the existing rules-based order and our status as a trusted partner to the Greenlandic and Danish governments. ​Constitutional Guardrails: Utilize your seat on the Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees to clarify that any change in the status of foreign territory requires a formal treaty ratified by the Senate. ​Funding Oversight: Ensure that no federal funds in the upcoming appropriations cycle are authorized for the non-consensual acquisition of foreign land. ​The United States must lead the Arctic through strength and diplomacy, not by mimicking the expansionist tactics of the adversaries we are trying to outcompete. I trust you will stand as a bulwark for the Constitution and the stability of our alliances.