Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stands by after a classified briefing on President Donald Trump’s foreign policy plans in the basement of the U.S. Senate, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday he will meet with Danish officials next week after the Trump administration’s recent attempt to annex Greenland or even operate the military against Greenland – an approach questioned by several Republican senators.
Senators held a closed, off-the-record briefing with Rubio on Wednesday about the ongoing U.S. intervention in Venezuela that began over the weekend, and Democrats said afterward that he did not address their concerns about the operation.
In addition, President Donald Trump is considering options for acquiring Greenland, including possible military operations, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said said Tuesday.
Danish officials have repeatedly stressed that any attempt to conquer the sovereign nation by force would violate NATO’s charter, which prohibits members from engaging in mutual aggression. Greenland has a population of around 56,000 and has its own local government Part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski told reporters she does not support Trump’s goals for Greenland.
“I hate the rhetoric of acquiring Greenland either through purchase or through force. And you know I don’t use the word hate very often. But I think it’s very, very disturbing,” Murkowski said. “And certainly worrying for someone who has actually been to Greenland.”
Rubio told reporters following the Venezuela briefing, which was open to all senators, that Energy Secretary Chris Wright would lay out the Trump administration’s plans for that country’s oil reserves later Wednesday. Trump said Saturday that the United States will govern “the country” of Venezuela until “an orderly transition can take place.”
“We are very confident that this will not only generate revenue that will be used for the benefit of the Venezuelan people … but it will also give us a certain level of influence and influence and control over how this process plays out,” Rubio said.
The Senate meeting with Rubio, which included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, followed days of escalation by the Trump administration abroad, including: Capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and bring him to the United States to be prosecuted, he threatened to take Greenland by force from NATO member Denmark and seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic and a second tanker bound for Venezuela.
After the briefing, Hegseth defended the U.S. capture of the ships and argued that the Trump administration was enforcing sanctions on Venezuelan oil.
The oil tanker incident came to lightweight early Wednesday when the U.S. military released a social media statement noting that the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security had been detained a “stateless” ship in the Caribbean Sea And another in the North Atlantic.
Leavitt said during an afternoon news conference that Trump officials will meet with oil executives on Friday to discuss an “immersive opportunity.”
Just hours after the military operation to capture Maduro on January 3, Trump stressed that Venezuela’s oil reserves were an significant factor in US plans. Trump told reporters that major oil companies were notified before and after the operation in Venezuela.
Senate GOP skeptical
In addition to Murkowski, a handful of other Senate Republicans also expressed concern that the White House statement leaves open the possibility of military action against Greenland.
Oklahoma Republican Senator James Lankford said: “We must not threaten a peaceful nation that is an ally where we already have a military base.”
Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins said she also disagreed with the Trump administration’s push to acquire Greenland and said she wasn’t sure the Trump administration was stern about using military force.
“It surprises me every time it comes up,” she said.
Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said he doesn’t believe military intervention is on the table for Greenland.
Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy said, “An invasion of Greenland would be weapons-stupid, and I don’t think President Trump is weapons-stupid, and neither is Marco Rubio.” Instead, he suggested potentially buying the area, an offer Denmark has already rejected.
Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, wrote in a critical statement that “cooperation with Arctic allies from Canada to the Nordic countries already gives the United States extensive access to positions of strategic importance.”
“Threats and intimidation by U.S. officials over American ownership of Greenland are as unseemly as they are counterproductive,” McConnell wrote. “And the use of force to conquer the sovereign democratic territory of one of America’s most loyal and capable allies would be a particularly catastrophic act of strategic self-harm for America and its global influence.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters after his weekly news conference that he could not comment on hypotheses about a military takeover of Greenland, including whether Congress would have to approve such an action.
“No, I can’t, because it depends what that is. Congress has a responsibility to declare war, and I don’t think there’s a scenario in which we would go to war with Greenland,” Johnson said. “Under Article II, as we discussed in the room, the President, like all previous presidents, has broad powers as commander in chief. No one can predict what will happen in Greenland. You are asking a hypothetical question that I cannot answer.”
Johnson said during the news conference that he did not believe anyone in the Trump administration was “seriously considering military action in Greenland.” “And in Congress we certainly aren’t.”
Democrats are seeking a vote on war powers
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut called the administration’s plan for Venezuelan oil “crazy.”
“They are talking about stealing Venezuelan oil at gunpoint for an indefinite period of time in order to micromanage the country,” he said. “The scope and insanity of this plan is absolutely breathtaking.”
Although Murphy said he was glad administrators held a briefing, he also said he was in for a “very, very tough ride.”
Senate Democrats are preparing for another vote on a war powers resolution intended to curb Trump’s military actions abroad. An earlier attempt to pass a resolution The trigger was the government’s multiple attacks on boats in the Caribbean in which officials claimed they were transporting drugs to the United States, but supporters failed to reach the 60-vote threshold in the Senate.
The next vote, led by Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, is expected to take place this week.
As Kaine left the briefing, he said, “It’s time to get this out of the (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) and bring it up in public hearings where senators can ask questions and the American public can find out what the hell is going on.” Such facilities are secure locations where confidential information can be shared.
Kaine said he could not get a clear answer from the briefing as to whether the Trump administration’s actions in Venezuela will be replicated in other countries such as Greenland or Cuba.
Senator Jacky Rosen questioned what the administration’s actions mean for the U.S., even though Maduro is a “very brutal dictator” and many are satisfied that he is no longer running Venezuela. While Maduro is no longer in power, his vice president Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in, effectively continuing the regime.
“We have problems here at home,” the Nevada Democrat said, pointing to the recent expiration of increased tax credits for people who buy health insurance on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace.
“The last time anyone checked, December 31st was just a week ago, and how many people have lost their health insurance because they couldn’t afford it, because Donald Trump is so busy and Pete Hegseth is so busy with the pictures of all these bombs exploding all over the world that they’re not paying attention to the people who are going to lose their health insurance?” Rosen asked.
Murphy, Kaine and Rosen all sit on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Jacob Fischler contributed to this report.
