Competing House bills introduced to curb, augment efforts to acquire Greenland

The same day a Florida Republican rolled out legislation to make Greenland the 51st U.S. state, a bipartisan group of lawmakers announced rival legislation to prevent President Trump from taking action on the Arctic island.

Rep. Randy Fine introduced the Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act Monday to secure “America’s strategic national security interests in the Arctic and countering the growing threats posed by China and Russia.”

The move is in line with President Trump’s argument that the U.S. should take over Greenland, citing national security concerns, despite strong pushback from Denmark, a NATO ally whose nation includes the autonomous territory.  

But Reps. Bill Keating, Massachusetts Democrat; Don Bacon, Nebraska Republican; Steny Hoyer, Maryland Democrat; and Brendan Boyle, Pennsylvania Democrat, have introduced a competing bill to pump the brakes on this goal.

The No Funds for NATO Invasion Act would prevent Mr. Trump from taking action to invade a NATO country or territory, like Greenland, and prohibit the use of any funds to invade a NATO member state or NATO-protected territory.

“NATO has been the foundation for peace between the U.S. and Europe for almost 80 years, and it has made Americans safer and strengthened our defense against those who wish us harm,” Mr. Keating said.

The lawmakers said in a joint statement that their bill makes it clear to allies and partners that it is “unacceptable to invade the territory of an ally of the United States.”

“We must cease the inflammatory rhetoric, work together to take advantage of our shared opportunities, and, most importantly, to counter the real threats from those who do not share our values,” the statement read.

Mr. Fine’s legislation flips this bipartisan bill on its head, authorizing Mr. Trump “to take whatever steps necessary to annex or acquire Greenland.”

“Greenland is not a distant outpost we can afford to ignore—it is a vital national security asset,” Mr. Fine said in a statement. “Whoever controls Greenland controls key Arctic shipping lanes and the security architecture protecting the United States. America cannot leave that future in the hands of regimes that despise our values and seek to undermine our security.” 

His legislation would also require the Trump administration to submit a report that outlines the changes to federal law needed to make Greenland a U.S. state

“For too long, American leadership stood by while our adversaries chipped away at our geopolitical dominance,” Mr. Fine said. “My bill will protect our homeland, secure our economic future, and ensure that America—not China or Russia—sets the rules in the Arctic.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that Mr. Trump wants Greenland because “he feels if we do not, then it will eventually be acquired or even perhaps [be] hostilely taken over by either China or Russia.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, left the plan to acquire Greenland up to the Trump administration.

“But I think what the president is articulating is something that everybody objectively has to acknowledge: that Greenland has strategic significance to us and also to other countries around the world. So we need to play that very seriously,” he told reporters Tuesday.

But as the president is rapidly kicking up his rhetoric about the Arctic island — including comments that the U.S. will take Greenland “one way or the other” — Mr. Johnson is taking a much softer approach.

He said he doesn’t anticipate U.S. troops in Greenland “anywhere, anytime soon.” 

Lawmakers in both parties, and all Democrats, have shown hesitancy or skepticism toward Mr. Trump’s bold claims.