We don’t know, yet, exactly what to make of reports that Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, asked Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. to set up a way to communicate secretly with Moscow through secure Russian facilities that the U.S. government could not monitor.

If the reports are correct, Kushner could face serious legal problems. There are separate reports that Kushner concealed still other meetings with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. both during and after the 2016 election. FBI investigators are reportedly trying to find out whether either Kushner or other Trump aides were looking to make a deal that would gain financing from Russian banks for “people with ties to Trump”.

This matter must be sorted out right away. Yet the people in a position to make sure this happens — Republicans in Congress — so far have not indicated they plan to take urgent action.

That is also a big deal. Republicans must make it a priority to find out whether these reports are accurate. If the initial reports are correct, then the next questions are: (1) Why would Kushner want to hide communications with the Russians a few weeks before his father-in-law took office, and (2) Did Donald Trump know about this?

Spicer grilled on Kushner's dealings with Russia

This is not the first time Republicans have given Americans pause about crucial national security issues. When there were reports earlier this month that Trump had revealed highly sensitive intelligence to Russian officials in a meeting at the White House that “directly endangered the life of an Israeli spy living under deep cover in ISIS territory,” Republicans were unmoved. Trump’s actions stood to harm the United States by damaging an important source of information about an American enemy, but Republicans took no action. When there were reports (also this month) that Trump revealed to Rodrigo Duterte, the president of The Philippines, that the U.S. has two nuclear submarines operating near North Korea, Republicans again did nothing.

“ Republicans in Congress are uniquely positioned to set limits on Trump’s power. ”

Republicans in Congress are uniquely positioned to set limits on Trump’s power, to rein him in when he goes too far, and to take meaningful steps to repair damage that he and his advisers may do to national security. They have a broad array of tools, including through legislation and investigation, to accomplish these ends. When they fail to act, that is a conscious choice.

Read: Congress issues seven subpoenas in Russia probe.

As the bizarre saga involving Trump’s campaign team and the Russians has unfolded in recent months, many have wondered whether there was any line Trump or his associates could cross that would cause congressional Republicans to act. The alarming reports about Kushner’s efforts to set up a secret way of communicating with Russia should qualify.

If Republicans fail to act, they will be sending a clear message to Americans: national security is less important than party loyalty. Second, it will be impossible to take the GOP seriously when it claims to be concerned about national security. Republicans’ actions will have spoken more loudly than their words.

Chris Edelson is an assistant professor of government in American University’s School of Public Affairs. His latest book, Power Without Constraint: The Post 9/11 Presidency and National Security, was published in 2016 by the University of Wisconsin Press.