House Republican bill would pave way for Trump to acquire Panama Canal for US

Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) will introduce a bill that would authorize the president to purchase the Panama Canal and put it under U.S. control, an acquisition that President-elect Trump has been pushing over the last several weeks.

Johnson plans to introduce the Panama Canal Repurchase Act on Thursday, The Hill has learned.

“President Trump is right to consider repurchasing the Panama Canal. China’s interest in and presence around the canal is a cause for concern,” Johnson said in a statement. “America must project strength abroad – owning and operating the Panama Canal might be an important step towards a stronger America and a more secure globe.”

The bill would authorize the president, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to “initiate and conduct negotiations with appropriate counterparts of the Government of the Republic of Panama to reacquire the Panama Canal” according to draft text shared with The Hill.

Trump in December had complained about the deal signed by former President Carter, saying that he “foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar.” That is an apparent reference to the symbolic sale of the canal that was accompanied by numerous other provisions in the Carter-Torrijos Treaties signed in 1977 that transferred control of the canal to Panama. An initial draft of Johnson’s bill authorized re-acquisition of the canal for the symbolic amount of $1.

The bill also directs the president to submit a report to Congress within 180 days of passage “detailing the progress of the negotiations” as well as the “potential challenges” and “anticipated outcomes.” Fox News first reported Johnson's plans to introduce the bill.

Trump on Tuesday refused to commit to not using the U.S. military to take control of the Panama Canal.

“I’m not going to commit to that. It might be that you have to do something,” Trump said in a press conference from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. “Look, the Panama Canal is vital to our country, it’s being operated by China, China. And we gave the Panama Canal to Panama, we didn’t give it to China.”

Despite Johnson’s bill, the idea of the U.S. taking control of the Panama Canal — as well as acquiring Greenland — is facing skepticism from other Capitol Hill Republicans.

“I think he was speaking aspirationally,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said recently about Trump’s ambitions of taking control of the Panama Canal and Greenland.

Topics

Why would Trump want Greenland and the Panama Canal?

Donald Trump says the U.S. needs control of Greenland and the Panama Canal "for national security." Here's why both places are so important.
CBS News - 15h
Trump Raises Using Military or Economic Force to Take Greenland and the Panama Canal

In an hourlong news conference at his Florida club, Mar-a-Lago, the president-elect delivered a hodgepodge of grievances, complaints and false claims.
The New York Times - 18h
Trump says he would use "economic force" to acquire Canada, but does not specify how

One day after Congress certified the 2024 election, and less than two weeks from his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump addressed reporters on Tuesday in a wide-ranging 75-minute news ...
CBS News - 1d
Trump doesn't rule out using military force to take control of Panama Canal, Greenland

President-elect Donald Trump held a wide-ranging press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday. He addressed pardons for Jan. 6 defendants and whether he would pursue efforts to put Greenland and the ...
CBS News - 1d
Trump refuses to rule out using military to take Panama Canal and Greenland

Remarks likely to set off alarm bells around the world as Trump prepares to return to the White House this month. Donald Trump is refusing to rule out using American military force to retake ...
The Guardian - 1d
Trump won't rule out using U.S. military to control Panama Canal or Greenland

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. should control the Panama Canal and Greenland, and has also expressed a desire to make Canada a state.
CNBC - 1d
Trump suggests he could use military force to acquire Panama Canal and Greenland

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested he would consider using military force to gain control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, and "economic force" to acquire Canada.
NBC News - 1d
Trump won't rule out using military to get Panama Canal

President-elect Trump on Tuesday refused to commit to not using the U.S. military to gain control of the Panama Canal, after vowing last month to take over operation of the key passageway. Trump ...
The Hill - 1d
Trump's Greenland and Panama Canal ambitions face Republican skepticism

Republican lawmakers are scratching their heads over President-elect Trump’s ambitions to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal, grand plans the incoming commander in chief put back on the table ...
The Hill - 3d