Buying Greenland Gains Momentum in Congress

WASHINGTON—Since capturing former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, the Trump administration has renewed its talk of acquiring Greenland, a Danish territory that the president has described as vital to national security.

On Capitol Hill, that end is more popular than one potential means.

Although Trump administration officials have stressed their interest in buying the world’s largest island, the president and his team have not ruled out taking Greenland through military force, driving criticism from European leaders in NATO, many Democrats, and even many Republicans.

In Congress, peaceful paths to making Greenland American have met with broader support, including from a noted skeptic of the administration’s recent foreign policy moves.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who is cosponsoring a war powers resolution on Venezuela, told reporters on Jan. 7 that talk of military intervention “should be condemned,” yet he said that Greenland would be a “good purchase.”

“There’d be great benefits to be under our defense umbrella, and also economic benefits to trade,” the libertarian-leaning lawmaker said during a briefing with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), another cosponsor of the resolution. “The Louisiana Purchase and buying Alaska were big, huge successes.”

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who has at times broken with his party to support Republican-backed policies, questioned the feasibility of invading a territory the size of Greenland. Yet he also acknowledged the strategic importance of the High North landmass to the United States.

“Ideally, we purchase it,” Fetterman told reporters on Jan. 7.

“It seems like that may not be an option.”

Seeking Greenland

The lawmakers’ comments came after executive branch officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, briefed senators on Venezuela.

Rubio told reporters that interest in acquiring Greenland is not new for President Donald Trump or in American history, noting that President Harry Truman sought to acquire it. He also explained why the administration likes to keep the option of force on the table.

“I’m not talking about Greenland, I’m just talking about globally—if the president identifies a threat to the national security of the United States, every president retains the option to address it through military means,” he said.

Earlier in the day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that a Greenland purchase is “currently being actively discussed by the president and his national security team.”

The discussion regarding the proposed acquisition has included comments from top White House adviser Stephen Miller.

He told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Jan. 5 that “nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.”

In a joint statement issued on Jan. 6, the leaders of Greenland, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK wrote that “it is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

In an interview with The Epoch Times that same day, Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), commenting on that response from European leaders, said, “It’s worrisome.”

On Jan. 7, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) told reporters, “We need to not threaten a peaceful nation that’s an ally where we have a military base already.”

Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Blake Moore (R-Utah) of the Congressional Friends of Denmark Caucus also raised concerns about the administration’s rhetoric, writing on Jan. 6 that “sabre-rattling about annexing Greenland is needlessly dangerous.”

“If the message is that ‘we need Greenland,’ the truth is that we already have access to everything we could need from Greenland,” they wrote, citing Denmark’s long-standing commitment to letting the United States move more military assets into the territory.

The U.S. military presence in Greenland includes Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base. The Arctic site, which has hosted Americans since World War II, was visited by Vice President JD Vance in March 2025.

Although Moore questioned the merits of seeking Greenland, many other Republicans voiced support for the idea of partnering with it or incorporating it into the United States.

“We ought to be active in pursuing Greenland,” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) told reporters after the Jan. 7 Venezuela briefing.

“That’s not what anybody’s talking about,” Schmitt said when asked about the prospect of a military annexation.

Ways to Make a Deal

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) told reporters on Jan. 7 that a Greenland acquisition would be advantageous to the United States but that it would be pursued in consultation with both that territory and Denmark, a sentiment in line with what many other Republicans have said.

“We’re not looking at doing a military operation,” he said.

On Jan. 6, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told reporters that he did not support an acquisition of Greenland by force. Yet he, too, stressed its potential utility to national security.

“Greenland is a critical land mass, with respect to the Arctic and with respect to NATO, and defending against incursion, in particular, by Russia,” he said. “The U.S. has acquired land before.”

He told The Epoch Times that he could support another prospective option to link Greenland with the United States, namely a Compact of Free Association between a future independent Greenland and the United States.

The United States has such compacts with three sovereign states in Oceania. The agreements allow the United States to maintain a heightened military presence in the associated states while conferring economic benefits on them.

Greenland has had a more open path to seeking independence from Denmark since 2009, when the Greenland Self-Government Act took effect.

“If … those discussions came about, and the people in Greenland decided that they wanted to have some type of relationship with the United States, great,” Lawler said of such a compact.

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) sounded skeptical of the idea that the United States would annex Greenland.

“I just think they’re playing y’all,” he told reporters on Jan. 7 after the House’s briefing on Venezuela. “Y’all gotta quit swinging at the low pitches.”