Exclusive: House Republican Leadership encourages legislators to make a backup of President Donald Trump’s Wish to return the Panama Canal to American property, a new memo suggests.
The GOP policy committee, led by chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., The Republican leader of Huis Nr. 5, sent the document to legislative directors during the conference on Wednesday.
The memo of two pages, easily entitled “Panama Canal”, starts with emphasizing Trump’s earlier comments about China’s influence About the Panama Canal and his goal to take it back. ”
It also noted that State Secretary Marco Rubio Panama will visit during his first trip as Trump’s top diplomat.
Marco Rubio on his way to Panama during the first trip as State Secretary
Split image of Trump and the Panama Canal (Jim Watson/AFP, Links, Arnulfo Franco/AFP, right.)
The next section describes the history of the US and the Panama Canal: “The Panama Canal was built by the US between 1904 and 1914. The canal was rented to the US for almost 75 years under the Hooi-Bunau-Varilla Convention of 1903 that of 1903 That has set up the Panama Canal Zone and the subsequent construction of the Panama Canal. “
It also points out that among the deceased former President Jimmy Carter it was that Panama was in control of the channel, through treaties that were later criticized by Trump.
The Persons with Carter “gave us the permanent explicit right to intervene to keep the channel open in the case of any threat that can disturb the constant neutral service of the channel of all nations” Republicans believe that Panama has since the end of The deal has violated.
“About 5% of global maritime traffic goes through the Panama Canal and saves 6,835 miles from a journey that would otherwise require a long and dangerous journey that the southern point of South -America plinth,” explains the memo. “The United States are the largest supplier of Panama of direct foreign investments – $ 3.8 billion annually.”
Russia sounds on Trump’s threat to resume the Panama Canal
Huis GOP policy chairman Kevin Hern is the Republican leader of the house number 5. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
In the meantime, “Chinese companies now have ports on both ends of the canal. Chinese construction companies have financed a $ 1.4 billion bridge project over the canal in 2018,” it says.
“The treaties require that transit costs are ‘fair, reasonable, fair and consistent with international law,’ ‘and that Panama retains the permanent neutrality of the channel,” said the memo. “The high fees that are charged by Panama, as well as Panama’s openness for investments by the Chinese Communist Party in the channel zone are probably both in violation of the conditions of the treaties.”
The Congress has already granted the president major authority on international trade in an emergency, but GOP legislators have indicated that they want to further illuminate those guardrails.
Main Street Caucus chairman Dusty Johnson, Rs.d., introduced an account earlier this month to have Trump buy the Panamakanaal for the US
Moments later, first -year rep. Riley Moore, R.VA., legislation to broaden Trump’s non-emergency rate.
And rep. Andy Ogles, r-tenn., Has an account authorizes Trump to come in In negotiations to buy Greenland.
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However, the memo of the Hern policy committee is remarkable as an apparent subtle order order for the GOP conference of the house to continue that path.
It could probably also encourage republican legislators to find legislative ways to further support Trump’s push to buy the channel, especially in view of the opposition of the Panamanian government against the US president’s plan.
