How Congress can stop Trump invading Greenland amid fears of military takeover

As US-Greenland tensions escalate, there is one way Congress could stop Trump from taking over the Denmark-governed territory.

Since Trump returned to office last January, he's had his sights firmly set on acquiring Greenland, the world's largest island.

He claims the US 'need' to own Greenland 'now' for the sake of national security. But not everyone agrees...

The island, located between North America and the Arctic, is strategically positioned for early warning detection of missile attacks. However, the Denmark-owned territory is not for sale - though that's not exactly deterred Trump from wanting to invade the area.

In response, Trump has threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff in eight European countries, starting February.

Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on those who disagree with his Greenland acquisition (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

This is set to rise to 25 percent come June should a deal for the 'complete and total purchase of Greenland' fail to be reached.

While people are worried World War Three could break out if Trump attempts to take-over the island, there is something Congress could do to throw a spanner in his works.

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen has called on the US government to invoke the War Powers Resolution, as per ABC News.

"We could, for example, cut off any funds that could be used for military purposes with respect to Greenland; we could take action under the War Powers Resolution," he said.

Also known as the War Powers Act, the congressional resolution is designed to 'limit the US president’s ability to initiate or escalate military actions abroad,' the Nixon Library explains.

Trump is fixated on taking over Greenland, despite serious backlash (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

It was passed in 1973 during the final years of the Vietnam War, after Congress grew alarmed by how deeply the US had been drawn into the conflict without a formal declaration of war.

It requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action and forbids armed forces from remaining for more than 60 days, with a further 30-day withdrawal period, without congressional authorization or a declaration of war by the US.

So, it is meant to stop presidents from starting open-ended wars on their own. It allows them to act quickly in emergencies, but Congress has the final say if the fighting is going to last.

However, the Act can be vetoed by the president.

Congress then needs a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate to override said veto, which Democrats almost certainly don’t have.

The Act was introduced during President Nixon's run (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

So unless a significant number of Republicans break with Trump, the resolution actually won’t legally stop him.

Van Hollen added: "A lot of our Republican colleagues talk big until it comes time to vote. We saw that just this past week, where two Republican senators who had voted in favor of moving forward the War Powers Resolution on Venezuela backed off.

"So they have to stop giving Donald Trump a blank check."