“ Canada is a sovereign state, yes ,” Pete Hoekstra told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He’s a former congressman who served as U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands in President Donald Trump ’s first term.

U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his plans for Panama and Greenland in his comments to Congress on Tuesday, prompting swift pushback from the leaders of those countries.

House Democrats launched efforts last week to block Trump from using military to occupy Canada, Greenland or the Panama Canal as tensions escalate.