Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stands aside in the basement of the U.S. Senate following a classified briefing on President Donald Trump’s foreign policy plans on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that he will meet with Danish officials next week in the wake of the Trump administration’s recent push to annex or even utilize the military against Greenland – a course of action that several Republican senators question.
On Wednesday, senators participated in a closed, classified briefing with Rubio on the ongoing U.S. intervention in Venezuela that began over the weekend, and Democrats later said he did not address their concerns about the operation.
Additionally, President Donald Trump is considering options for taking over Greenland, including possible military operations, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt he said Tuesday.
Danish officials have repeatedly stressed that any move to take a sovereign nation by force would violate NATO regulations, which prohibit NATO members from acting against each other. Greenland, with a population of approximately 56,000, has its own local government, but it is also one part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski told reporters she does not support Trump’s goals for Greenland.
“I hate the rhetoric about acquiring Greenland by purchase or force. And you know I don’t use the word hate very often. But I find it very, very disturbing,” Murkowski said. “And that certainly applies to someone who has actually been to Greenland.”
After the briefing in Venezuela – open to all senators – Rubio told reporters that Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Wednesday will outline the Trump administration’s plans for the country’s oil reserves. Trump he said on Saturday that the United States will “rule the country” of Venezuela until “a proper transformation can occur.”
“We are very positive that this will not only generate revenues that will be used to benefit the Venezuelan people… but it will also give us some leverage, influence and control over how this process unfolds,” Rubio said.
The Senate meeting with Rubio, which also included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, followed days of escalating actions by the Trump administration abroad, including: the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and bringing him to the United States to face criminal charges, threatening to take Greenland by force from NATO member Denmark and seizing a Russian-flagged tanker in the North Atlantic Sea as well as a second tanker linked to Venezuela.
After the briefing, Hegseth defended the U.S. seizure of the ships, arguing that the Trump administration was enforcing sanctions on Venezuelan oil.
The tanker episode was revealed early Wednesday morning when the US military issued a statement on social media that the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security had detained “stateless” ship in the Caribbean Sea AND another in the North Atlantic.
Leavitt said during an afternoon news conference that Trump officials would meet with oil executives on Friday to discuss the “engaging possibility.”
Hours after the military operation to seize Maduro on January 3, Trump emphasized that Venezuela’s oil reserves were a major factor in U.S. plans. Trump told reporters that oil majors 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 about the White House statement leaving open the possibility of military action in Greenland.
Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford said that “we cannot threaten a peaceful nation that is an ally where we already have a military base.”
Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins said she also disagrees with the Trump administration’s push to take over Greenland and is unsure whether the Trump administration is sedate about using military force.
“Every time he shows up, he surprises me,” she said.
GOP Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said he “doesn’t think military intervention is being considered” in the Greenland case.
Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy said that “invading Greenland would be weapons class stupidity, and I don’t think President Trump is weapons stupid, nor is Marco Rubio.” Instead, he suggested a possible purchase of the territory, which Denmark had already rejected.
Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, wrote in a critical statement that “cooperation with Arctic allies, from Canada to the Nordics, already provides the United States with broad access to strategically important positions.”
“Threats and intimidation by U.S. officials over U.S. ownership of Greenland are as inappropriate as they are counterproductive,” McConnell wrote. “And the use of force to seize the sovereign democratic territory of one of America’s most loyal and capable allies would be a particularly disastrous 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 hypothetical issues regarding a military takeover of Greenland, including whether Congress would have to approve such an action.
“No, I can’t, because it depends on what it is. Congress has an obligation to declare war, and I don’t think there’s a scenario where we’re at war with Greenland,” Johnson said. “Under Article II, as we discussed in the room, the president has broad powers as commander in chief, as have all previous presidents. No one can predict what will happen in Greenland. You are asking a hypothesis that I cannot answer.”
Johnson said during the news conference that he did not believe anyone in the Trump administration would “seriously consider” taking military action in Greenland. “And certainly not in Congress.”
Democrats are moving toward 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 as leverage to micromanage the country,” he said. “The scope and insanity of this plan are absolutely staggering.”
While Murphy expressed satisfaction that administration officials held the briefing, he also said he anticipates a “very, very difficult ride” ahead.
Senate Democrats are preparing for another vote on the war powers resolution, which aims to limit Trump’s military activities abroad. Earlier attempt to pass a resolution was prompted by the administration’s repeated strikes on boats in the Caribbean that officials believed were carrying drugs to the U.S., but supporters failed to reach the 60-vote threshold in the Senate.
Another vote, led by Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, is expected to take place this week.
Leaving the briefing, Kaine said, “It’s time to get this information out of (the confidential information system) and present it 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 places where classified information can be shared.
Kaine said he couldn’t get a clear answer from the briefing on whether the Trump administration’s actions in Venezuela would be replicated in other countries such as Greenland or Cuba.
Sen. Jacky Rosen asked what the administration’s actions mean for the U.S., despite the consensus that Maduro is a “very brutal dictator” and amid many satisfaction that he no longer rules Venezuela. Although 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 through the Affordable Care Act platform.
“The last time anyone checked, December 31st was just a week ago. How many people lost their health insurance because they couldn’t afford it because Donald Trump is so busy and Pete Hegseth is so busy visualizing all these bombs exploding around the world that they don’t pay attention to the people who will lose their health care?” he asked Rosen.
Murphy, Kaine and Rosen serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Jacob Fischler contributed to this report.
