President-elect Donald Trump made waves over the weekend when he threatened to take back control of the Panama Canal.
In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump explained the canal's “vital” importance to American economic and military interests and how it shouldn’t be controlled by China or any other country since it was a gift given to Panama by America, which is responsible for 70% of the traffic.
Donald Trump's posts on Truth Social about the Panama Canal.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) has been a leader in the Senate on issues related to Panama, particularly China’s growing influence over the canal and the influx of ISIS migrants making their way into the U.S. through Panama’s Darien Gap.
In September, Tuberville questioned Vice Admiral Alvin Holsey about U.S. involvement in the Panama Canal, expressing similar views about foreign influence and the need for greater American control.
“What I’ve looked at and studied, probably one of the most asinine decisions is us fully pulling out of the Panama Canal, you know, since 1999, making that decision in the early 80s,” he said. “Just talking with people down there. They’re hurting economically. And when you’re in that point, you’re very vulnerable to Russia, China. China had their foothold in till we got this president in down there. […] I know you understand this—we need to be able to hold on to the Panama Canal because as what we’re hearing, if something were to happen in the Pacific, how the hell [are we] gonna get things to the Pacific, especially from the East Coast? If we gotta go all the way down to the bottom of South America and not be able to go through the Panama Canal […] if China were to be able to block that thing off or do something, damage it or whatever.
In March 2023, Tuberville and U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) visited the Canal to learn more about countering Chinese influence and immigration issues.
Ended a productive day at the Panama Canal’s Miraflores Locks by seeing this engineering marvel in action.
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) March 19, 2023
From an immigration crisis to growing Chinese incursions, there are many issues where the U.S.–Panama relationship strengthens the security & economies of both nations. pic.twitter.com/lDO3sq4Z8S
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing shortly after that visit, Tuberville said, “[R]ecently over the last few years, China signed 30 contracts with the Panamanians, some of it to do with the Canal and Panamanians are now trying to get out of some of those contracts because the Chinese have breached some of those contracts, which we need as the United States of America to protect Panama because that’s how important it is to all of us.”
Following another visit to Panama this past summer, Tuberville told Fox Business Network's “Kudlow,” “I was at the Darién Gap in Panama this past week, talking to people at the border down there. It’s not ten million. It’s closer to twenty million people that have come across in our country. They are scared to death down there, and it’s not just Venezuelans coming across. It is also Africans that are ISIS. They’re coming over by the droves, and so we’ve got a huge problem of terrorists coming in this country, illegals voting, but that’s what the Democrats live off of. They have nothing else to play with other than getting the power back by these illegals voting.”
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