Inside Democrats' plans to stop Trump from raiding more countries
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks at a vigil for the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
House Democrats are scrambling for levers to block the Trump administration from reprising its Venezuelan incursion across Latin America and beyond.
Why it matters: Trump's threats to intervene militarily in Greenland, Colombia, Mexico and elsewhere have attracted some bipartisan opposition, which Dems see as a rare opening to get something passed.
- Democrats' plans include war powers votes, efforts to choke off funding for foreign operations and public pressure campaigns against the White House.
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters Wednesday morning: "We should take him at his word that the president is deadly serious about invading other countries."
- Said Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.): "You'll see something ... about Venezuela very soon, and we're working on others."
Driving the news: The party's first step is to force a vote on a war powers resolution aimed at blocking the administration from conducting further military operations in Venezuela without congressional approval.
- That initiative is being led by Rules Committee ranking member Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), who told reporters the measure will be similar to a bipartisan resolution he introduced last December.
- McGovern said the measure will be "really clean and simple," which senior Democratic sources told Axios is meant to avoid a failed war powers vote that the administration may see as a green light for further action.
- "A number of ambassadors have called to raise concerns about war powers acts that fail," said a senior House Democrat.
Between the lines: The party wants to later introduce similar measures to prevent incursions into other countries — but not until after passing a Venezuela resolution.
- "The theory is to use all the tools that we have with respect to Greenland, Colombia, Mexico, whoever else is on the list, but we also want to be cautious," the senior House Democrat said.
- A second senior House Democrat said party leaders fear defections even from Democrats if they try to pass an overly broad war powers measure.
- The second lawmaker said Democrats plan to press administration briefers on the threats of further incursions during a classified briefing scheduled for Wednesday.
What we're hearing: In a closed-door House Democratic caucus meeting Wednesday morning, Jeffries previewed plans around McGovern's war powers resolution, according to sources in the room.
- He also noted that an incursion into Greenland, which is a Danish territory, would likely trigger a NATO response under Article 5 of the organization's charter.
Zoom out: Some lawmakers are already looking ahead to the looming Jan. 30 government funding deadline as another potential lever.
- A third House Democrat told Axios that lawmakers are planning to introduce amendments to a Pentagon funding bill to block funding for operations in "each of those countries."
- Appropriations Committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) told Axios: "There will be discussions with regards to the [foreign operations] bill and the defense bill."
What's next: Several letters to the administration voicing opposition to threats against specific countries are being circulated among House Democrats, sources familiar with the matter told Axios.
- One, drafted by Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), urges Secretary of State Marco Rubio not to violate Mexico's sovereignty with an unauthorized military strike, according to a copy viewed by Axios.
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) told Axios his group will be coming out with a "series of recommendations" on Latin America "within the next 24 hours."
The bottom line: "I don't know how we go three years, and this guy doesn't do one of these countries, at least — Greenland, Colombia, Cuba," predicted the third House Democrat who spoke anonymously.
- "I would probably put Cuba and Greenland up there as ... the top two, but places like Colombia I think aren't off limits. And you still have all this stuff with Mexico.
