Senators Kaine and Paul explore war powers resolution on Greenland

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) appeared on NBC's Meet the Press on Jan. 18, 2026, to discuss three legislative options for constraining Trump's Greenland ambitions. These include writing a war powers resolution, challenging Trump's tariff authority under emergency powers statutes, and relying on laws preventing the president from withdrawing from NATO without congressional approval.

The bipartisan effort follows the Jan. 14, 2026, failure of their Venezuela war powers resolution. Senate Republicans used a procedural motion to block the resolution 50-50, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie, after the Senate initially voted 52-47 on Jan. 8, 2026, to advance the legislation.

President Trump announced on Jan. 17, 2026, that he would impose 10% tariffs on eight European NATO allies—Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland—for sending military personnel to Greenland for exercises. These tariffs add to existing 10-15% tariffs on European imports.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the Greenland tariffs on Meet the Press by stating 'the national emergency is avoiding a national emergency' and claiming Trump can use economic might to avoid a hot war. Sen. Paul rejected this justification as 'ridiculous,' stating 'emergency powers are for emergencies' and can't be used to circumvent constitutional rules on taxation and congressional authority.