If you thought the 51st state debate would be about Puerto Rico or D.C., think again. Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) filed legislation Monday that would set the United States on a path to annex Greenland and make it a full-fledged state, giving concrete form to President Donald Trump's long-standing fascination with the massive Arctic island.

The Case for Control

Fine's "Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act" doesn't beat around the bush. The bill aims to enable "the annexation and subsequent admission to statehood of Greenland," according to his office.

"Greenland is not a distant outpost we can afford to ignore — it is a vital national security asset," Fine said in a press release. "Whoever controls Greenland controls key Arctic shipping lanes and the security architecture protecting the United States."

He added that "America cannot leave that future in the hands of regimes that despise our values and seek to undermine our security."

How It Would Work

The legislation authorizes Trump "to take such steps as may be necessary, including by seeking to enter into negotiations with the Kingdom of Denmark, to annex or otherwise acquire Greenland as a territory of the United States." Once acquired, the president would need to submit a report to Congress outlining what federal law changes would be "necessary to admit the newly acquired territory as a State."

No Rush, But It's on the List

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that there's no specific "timeline" for taking over Greenland. "[Trump] has not set a timeline, but it's definitely a priority for him," she said, explaining that Trump believes the U.S. should acquire Greenland to prevent it from being "acquired or even perhaps hostilely taken over" by China or Russia.

Not everyone's thrilled with the idea. Democrats have warned that Trump's rhetoric could blow up longstanding alliances. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that any U.S. move to seize Greenland by force "would be the end of NATO."

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with Danish officials Wednesday to discuss Greenland.