GOP lawmaker introduces bill to make Greenland the 51st state
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., is proposing a bill that would make Greenland the 51st state.
The bill, known as The Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act, would allow President Donald Trump to take any necessary steps to acquire Greenland as a part of the United States.
Trump has repeatedly said the United States should acquire Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
The president has said U.S. ownership of the island is a matter of national security, telling reporters on Air Force One on Sunday that Russia or China would take the territory if the U.S. doesn't.
The president hasn't ruled out military intervention to take the territory. But he said it would be "easier" to make a deal with Denmark to acquire Greenland.
In a statement posted on his website, Fine wrote that Greenland is a "vital national security asset."
The congressman parroted Trump's talking points about other countries owning the island, writing that "America cannot leave that future in the hands of regimes that despise our values and seek to undermine our security."
Most Democrats and several Republicans in Congress, however, have thrown cold water on America owning the icy island.
During an appearance on NBC's " Meet the Press " on Sunday. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., warned that any attempts to take Greenland would result in the end of NATO .
Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that if the U.S. tried to take Greenland, members of NATO, such as Denmark, would have to defend it. Such a scenario would pit the U.S. against its allies in the international military alliance.
U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif. recently introduced a bill that would block any effort to take Greenland, according to Axios .
U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb. called Trump's comments about Greenland, "appalling."
"Denmark is one of our best friends… so the way we're treating them is really demeaning and it has no upside," Bacon told CNN last week.
Bacon, along with U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa. and U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, D-9th District, are sponsoring a different bill that would prohibit military action against NATO members, according to POLITICO .
A YouGov poll released on Jan. 7 found that 45% of Americans said they are opposed to buying Greenland, 28% said they supported the idea and 27% said they were not sure.
Even more Americans, 73%, said they opposed the use of military action to acquire the island, according to the poll. Only 8% said they support military action and 19% said they were unsure.
A total of 2,223 U.S. adults responded to the survey.
Members of the Trump administration are set to meet with Danish officials about Greenland on Wednesday, according to CBS News .
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