US Lawmaker Puts Forward Bill to Annex Greenland as New State

By Staff, Agencies

A Republican lawmaker has introduced legislation in the US House of Representatives that would pave the way for Greenland to become the 51^st US state, intensifying President Donald Trump’s controversial drive to bring the Danish territory under American control.

The move follows Trump’s claim last week that the United States must annex Greenland — an autonomous territory under Denmark’s sovereignty — to prevent Russia and China from expanding their influence in the Arctic. Trump argued that without US action, the island could fall under the control of rival powers.

The proposed legislation, titled the Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act, was introduced on Monday by Republican Representative Randy Fine of Florida. The bill would authorize the president to take “whatever steps necessary to annex or acquire Greenland” and requires the administration to submit a report to Congress detailing the process for Greenland’s eventual admission as a US state.

“Greenland is not a distant outpost we can afford to ignore — it is a vital national security asset,” Fine said in a statement, arguing that control of the island would secure key Arctic shipping routes and strengthen US military infrastructure.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that acquiring Greenland remains a priority for Trump, though she did not provide a specific timeline. Media reports have suggested that following the recent US intervention in Venezuela, Trump has instructed military leaders to prepare plans for a possible invasion.

The bill’s prospects in Congress remain unclear, as the idea of forcibly acquiring Greenland has drawn criticism from across the US political spectrum. Republican Senator Rand Paul warned that such a move could backfire, while Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said an attempt to seize Greenland by force would effectively “end NATO.”

Denmark has firmly rejected the idea, maintaining that Greenland is not for sale. Danish Ambassador to the US Jesper Moller Sorensen said the island’s future must be decided by its people, most of whom voted in 2008 to retain self-governing status within the Kingdom of Denmark.

China has criticized Trump’s remarks, accusing Washington of using Beijing and Moscow as “pretexts” to expand its footprint in the Arctic, where seven of the eight Arctic nations are NATO members. Russian officials have also opposed the militarization of the region, stressing that the Arctic should remain an area of peaceful cooperation and reiterating that Greenland’s future must be determined by its residents.