Flood, Ricketts support Greenland negotiations, Bacon calls military action 'one of the silliest things'

Several members of Nebraska’s Congressional delegation are open to the United States eventually controlling Greenland, under certain circumstances, as several White House leaders flirt with the idea to make the sparsely populated country a part of the U.S.

Since his first term in office, President Donald Trump has talked about purchasing Greenland, which is part of the kingdom of Denmark. On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said acquiring Greenland is a “national security priority of the United States.”

“The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.”

Concerns about serious plans being in the works to take over Greenland are heightened after the United States’ sudden move last weekend to capture Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro. Following the military operation, Trump said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela. Maduro has been considered by several countries, including the U.S., as an illegitimate president following widespread election fraud in 2024. Venezuela’s oil reserves have also been a target of the president.

“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” Trump said following Maduro’s capture. “The biggest beneficiaries are going to be the people of Venezuela.”

In a press call Wednesday afternoon, Nebraska Public Media News asked Nebraska Rep. Mike Flood about whether Congress could be sidestepped again if the president decides to conduct a similar military operation in Greenland.

“These are two very different situations,” Flood said. “There are two very different countries. We did not topple a regime [in Venezuela]. We’re dealing here with an enemy of the United States. We made an arrest using the U.S. military and the Department of Justice.”

Flood visited Wednesday morning with the Danish Ambassador to the U.S. Jesper Sorensen and head of the Greenland Representation Jacob Isbosethsen. The congressman said he and the ambassadors had “a really good conversation about what the United States’ true intentions are in the Arctic region” and that he supports “the people of Denmark and Greenland in their position here.”

But Flood said given threats from China, Russia and Iran, “security is very important to the United States, especially in our Eastern seaboard.” Flood said the president is “right to identify” Greenland’s resources, such as rich minerals and rare earths.

“China, right now, is leading the way in the world,” Flood said. “And it’s no secret that American technology, if we’re going to innovate, if we’re going to grow, if we’re going to be the world leader, we have to have access to this.”

Flood added that it’s worth exploring if there could be a “win-win” situation for Greenland being utilized more – and in possibly a new way – by the United States.

“Something that our allies, not only in NATO, but Greenland and Denmark embrace,” Flood said. “And what that looks like – I don’t know. That’s the secretary of state’s job to negotiate that.”

Flood didn’t rule out Greenland becoming a part of the United States in the future, but he said he would not support using military intervention against any NATO ally.

“President Trump said in his joint session of Congress last year [that] if the people of Greenland want to become part of the United States, they have to make that decision,” Flood said. “It’s hard to predict what the next steps are here. This is a very important strategic priority to the United States.”

In a call with reporters Wednesday afternoon, Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts said U.S. leaders should be watching “our northern flank.”

“We’ve seen what Communist China and Russia have done to expand their activity in the Arctic, expanding their Arctic fleets and so forth. We need to be on guard about what the Communist Chinese or the Russians can do up there.”

In December, the U.S. Department of Defense released statements about its concerns with China and Russia “collaborating” in the “military domain.” The news release alluded to exercises in the Bering Strait in 2023 and “increasing cooperation between the Chinese and Russian coast guards in the region.” DOD officials said they would be looking at how to use military exercises in the region “as a deterrent effect.”

Ricketts said all of these conversations surrounding Greenland – and the style in which these conversations are being held – are a part of the White House negotiations.

“When the president says he’s not going to take any options off the table as commander in chief, he cannot take any options off the table to protect the people of the United States,” Ricketts said. “He needs to make sure he can have any tool at his disposal to protect the people of the United States. And as you know, the president often starts his negotiations on the far edge of where he wants to be.”

In an interview with CNN this week, Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon, who won’t be running for another term in the 2nd Congressional District, was avidly against conversations about any more U.S. intervention in Greenland.

“Most people in Greenland want to remain independent Greenland with Denmark providing some protection,” Bacon said. “They count on us. We're NATO allies. We have bases there. We could build on that. This is one of the silliest things I have heard come out of the White House in the last year, and it's unacceptable. I hope other Republicans line up behind me and make it clear to the White House it's wrong.”

Bacon has differed with Trump on military decisions, such as the level of U.S. involvement and support in Ukraine’s war with Russia. But he supported the president’s capture of Venezuela’s president. Although, in social media posts, Bacon said the change in Venezuela “should not be about putting in our puppet to control Venezuela’s oil.”