Detroit congressman co-sponsoring bill to prevent U.S. from invading Canada

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 13, 2025 12:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

The Michigan congressman who is co-sponsoring a measure to prevent the United States from invading Canada says helium and different Democrats person brought the measure guardant due to the fact that they are alarmed by U.S. President Donald Trump's expansionist rhetoric.

Shri Thanedar is 1 of the backers of H.R. 1936, dubbed the No Invading Allies Act, which requires legislature support for any usage of force against Canada, Panama oregon Greenland.

"Recent statements by President Trump astir Canada being the 51st authorities oregon redesigning, redrawing the boundaries betwixt the 2 states is precise troubling," said Shri Thanedar, the congressman for Michigan's 13th district, which includes Detroit and immoderate of its eastbound and southwestern suburbs. 

"Canada is an ally, a affable country. We person a large narration with Canada. They are a large neighbour and we person large commerce betwixt the 2 countries."

The measure is an effort to guarantee Trump abides by legislature authorization earlier helium "takes immoderate benignant of acts oregon aggression that would not beryllium successful the champion involvement of some the countries," Thanedar said.

The U.S. Constitution already requires presidents to question legislature support for acts of war, but legislature has typically been consenting to widen them leeway to prosecute successful hostilities for constricted amounts of time, said Seth Magaziner, the Rhode Island congressman who introduced the bill. 

"My measure fundamentally says that Congress needs to reclaim its law authority," Magaziner said. 

'Cannot spot Donald Trump'

"We cannot spot Donald Trump with truthful agelong a leash."

Magaziner said helium was shocked to perceive Trump talking during his inaugural code about expanding U.S. territory.

"That has not been the extremity of the United States president successful implicit a century," Magaziner said.

"Do I deliberation that Donald Trump intends to invade Canada by force? I deliberation astir apt not. But we can't instrumentality thing for granted. It's insane that we adjacent person to person this conversation. I introduced the measure conscionable to nonstop the connection that the American radical don't privation this. … Unfortunately, we person a person successful Donald Trump who is unhinged and needs to beryllium reined in."

Thanedar said passing the measure should beryllium "doable" adjacent though Democrats are successful the minority, due to the fact that they lone request the enactment of a twelve oregon less Republicans.

So far, helium said, nary has stepped forward.

Magaziner said that portion helium believes immoderate Republicans person expressed interest privately astir Trump's commercialized wars with Canada and different nations, galore are "not surviving successful reality."

"They deliberation that Donald Trump's actions are popular," helium said.

"When people, aggravated people, crook up astatine their municipality halls, they person themselves that they were each someway paid oregon coerced to beryllium there, and past they conscionable stop having municipality halls truthful that they don't person to perceive from their constituents anymore."