Rep. Dusty Johnson said his bill authorizing the president to buy back the Panama Canal requires the nation of Panama to agree to any potential deal.
Johnson introduced the bill after President-elect Donald Trump brought up the idea of the U.S. retaking control of the Panama Canal. Johnson said his bill provides an avenue to begin the conversation.
“Donald Trump wants to kill this ridiculous trade deficit we got, we are not going to get that done if we can’t count on the Panama Canal. Forty percent of American container loads go through the Panama Canal. Its hugely important for both American agriculture and American energy," said Johnson. "So, let’s give the president a little bit of flexibility, a little bit of authority so he can go talk with the Panamanians about whether or not it makes sense for us to buy back the Panama Canal. Something that we owned and operated until 1999.”
When asked by reporters, Trump refused to rule out the use of military force to retake the canal. But Johnson said his bill does not include language for any authorization of invasion.
He said for a deal to be made you must have both a willing buyer and seller.
“Frankly, we’re getting a new sheriff in town on Jan. 20. It was not of interest to Joe Biden, so it wouldn’t have made a lot of sense to give Joe Biden that authority to be able to explore where or not there is a deal. Let’s be clear, Donald Trump is a big deal maker. He loves the negotiation. He may be able to pull something off that frankly Joe Biden simply wouldn’t have been capable of doing,” said Johnson.
When asked whether buying the canal could cause international issues, Johnson said regardless, the U.S. should be focused on daily threats from China and Russia.
Trump has yet to speak on Johnson’s bill.
