House Republicans Launch Bill To Approve Purchase Of Greenland
Republicans in the U.S. House are piggybacking on President-elect Donald Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. should consider purchasing Greenland from Denmark, one that has drawn scorn, outrage and, at the same time, a tacit admission by the island’s people that they are unhappy with their current arrangement.
The GOP caucus on Monday filed legislation that would authorize the incoming Trump administration to enter into negotiations with Denmark about a possible purchase. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-KY), the primary sponsor, appropriately titled his bill the “Make Greenland Great Again Act.” “Joe Biden took a blowtorch to our reputation these past four years, and before even taking office, President Trump is telling the world that America First is back. American economic and security interests will no longer take a backseat, and House Republicans are ready to help President Trump deliver for the American people,” Ogles told Fox News Digital. Text of the bill reveals that Trump, upon taking office on January 20th, would immediately be allowed to offer a dollar figure for the northern territory, one that U.S. officials have placed a premium on for its strategic importance in the 21st century.
“Not later than 5 calendar days after reaching an agreement with the Kingdom of Denmark relating to the acquisition of Greenland by the United States, the President shall transmit to the appropriate congressional committees the agreement, including all related materials and annexes,” the legislation said. Ten other House Republicans who joined Ogles in cosponsoring the legislation include Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Michael Rulli (R-OH), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Barry Moore (R-AK), Randy Weber (R-TX), and the new incoming House Science Committee Chairman, Brian Babin (R-TX). Ogles has previously stated that the purchase of Greenland by the U.S. is “essential to our national security,” Fox News reported.
During a press conference last week, Trump suggested that he could not rule out the use of military force or economic coercion to compel the Danish kingdom into releasing the 836,300 square-mile territory, which sits exceptionally close to Russia. “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two,” he told a reporter at Mar-a-Lago. “We need it for national security. That’s for the free world. I’m talking about protecting the free world.” National security advisors, meanwhile, have buttressed his assertion, even if Danish politicians are playing hardball for now. “We have a clear interest in that it is the U.S. that plays a large role and not Russia or other countries. But Greenland is for the Greenlandic people,” Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters on Tuesday.
Polls over the past decade have consistently shown that Greenlanders want independence from Denmark, with many shocked and intrigued by the idea of being welcomed into the U.S., likely as a territory. “It’s shocked us,” Joelsen, a native Greenlander who works as a prison official in the island’s capital Nuuk, told USA Today by telephone. “We need to talk about the independence of Greenland from Denmark. But not like this.” Christian Ulloriaq Jeppesen, a radio producer in Nuuk who lives in Denmark, said things suddenly became very “real” after Donald Trump, Jr. visited the territory for a round of introductions. “Then suddenly there was a big airplane with Trump’s name on it in Nuuk and people were walking around with MAGA hats on it and the whole thing got real,” he said.
