BREAKING: House Republicans introduce bill that would allow Trump to enter negotiations with Denmark to acquire Greenland.
House Republicans on Monday introduced a bill that would allow President-elect Trump to enter into negotiations with Denmark to acquire Greenland.
Why it matters: It's the latest in a series of proposed Republican legislation to bring Trump's vision of a new, sprawling American empire to fruition.
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) last week introduced a bill that would have the Gulf of Mexico renamed the "Gulf of America" on official documents and maps.
- Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) also introduced a bill last week along with 15 other Republicans that would authorize talks to repurchase the Panama Canal.
Driving the news: Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) is introducing the two-page "Make Greenland Great Again Act," which was first reported by Fox News.
- The bill would authorize the president — at the moment of Trump's swearing in on Jan. 20 — to "seek to enter into negotiations with the Kingdom of Denmark to secure the acquisition of Greenland by the United States."
- The bill would give Congress the ability to block any agreement within 60 days, though it would need a veto-proof two-thirds majority in both chambers to do so.
By the numbers: Ogles, a member of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, has 10 GOP co-sponsors, including some moderate and establishment members like Reps. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Mike Rulli (R-Ohio).
- Seven of the co-sponsors, including Lawler and Rulli, are also among the 15 who co-sponsored Dusty Johnson's Panama Canal bill.
Zoom out: Trump and his allies have continued to make noise about acquiring Greenland even as both Danish and Greenlandic leaders have pushed back on the idea.
Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. visited the island territory last week and Vice President-elect JD Vance said Sunday there is a "deal to be made."
Trump himself has declined to rule out the use of military force to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal — which the leaders of Panama are similarly reluctant to give up.
The Danish government sent private messages to the Trump team expressing willingness to discuss increased U.S. military presence in Greenland, Axios' Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler reported.
Between the lines: To be approved by Congress, the bill would almost certainly need Democratic support.
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have scoffed at Trump's imperialist ambitions.
- But some centrist Democrats aren't ruling out working with Trump on the idea, noting the geopolitical importance of both territories.