Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., told Newsmax on Wednesday about legislation he reintroduced aimed at advancing President Donald Trump's long-standing interest in acquiring Greenland, arguing the Arctic territory represents a major security vulnerability that only the U.S. is capable of securing.
Appearing on "Newsline," Ogles discussed his Make Greenland Great Again Act, which he said he first offered last year to support what he described as the White House's legislative agenda under Trump.
The bill would authorize steps to accelerate negotiations and planning tied to a potential U.S. acquisition of the island.
Ogles, a member of the House Financial Services and Homeland Security committees, framed the issue as a matter of national defense, warning that growing Chinese and Russian activity in the Arctic has outpaced the ability of Denmark, which retains responsibility for Greenland's defense and foreign affairs, to respond.
"At the end of the day, it is a strategic, essentially, backyard for the United States of America," Ogles said.
He noted Greenland's gross domestic product is roughly $3.3 billion, while China has invested more than $500 billion across the Arctic region and continues to escalate its presence.
Ogles said Russia operates eight nuclear-powered icebreakers in the Arctic compared with five deployed by China, while Denmark lacks the resources to counter those developments.
"There's one country that can go head-to-head with China," he said. "That's the United States of America."
To illustrate the threat, Ogles compared Greenland to a broken fence line between neighboring farms.
"We have a hole in our fence that is Greenland," he said. "The United States of America can fix it."
The comments came the same day Trump reiterated at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that Greenland remains strategically vital to U.S. security, particularly as Arctic shipping lanes and military corridors grow more active.
Trump has repeatedly said that any future attack on the U.S. would most likely come through the Arctic region.
Ogles echoed that assessment, saying Greenland and the surrounding waters represent a crucial defensive corridor.
"If we're going to be attacked, it's likely through that corridor," he said. "We must defend the Arctic Ocean and the Greenland Sea."
Asked about the bill's status, Ogles said his goal is to bring the legislation to the House floor, through committee or directly, while continuing to coordinate with the White House.
"There's only one leader that can get this done," Ogles said. "That's President Donald Trump."
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