Cruz Launches Panama Canal Treaty Violation Investigation

Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) has launched an official Senate investigation into alleged violations of the Panama Canal Treaty.

The launch of the investigation amplifies tension over President Donald Trump’s (R) recent remarks about potentially retaking control of the Panama Canal.

Spearheaded by the Senate Commerce Committee, the investigation will examine claims that Panama has failed to uphold its obligations under the treaty, which has raised concerns about the canal's security and its alleged management by foreign actors like China.

During a senate hearing on the future of the Panama Canal, Senator Cruz commented that “President Trump is making a serious and substantive argument that that treaty is being violated.” “Right now, this committee has jurisdiction under the Senate rules over the Panama Canal, and today, we will examine evidence of potential violations,” he added.

President Trump first commented on retaking the Panama Canal before his inauguration, and the comments drew a swift rebuttal from Democrats like Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D). Calling the president's threat of retaking the Panama Canal "preposterous," Rep. Schultz added that "wee are no more going to take back the Panama Canal than Panama is gonna come in and try to take the Mississippi River from us."

However, Republicans like Senator Cruz believe that there's a case for the U.S. to take back the Panama Canal, and he hopes to get to the bottom of things with the new investigation.

Senator Cruz cited troubling actions by Panama, which includes its alleged support for Iran and its economic ties to China, as evidence of its role as a "bad actor."

“Panama has for years flagged dozens of vessels in the Iranian ghost fleet, which brought Iran tens of billions of dollars in oil profits to fund terror across the world. And Chinese companies have won contracts, often without fair competition,” Senator Cruz explained during the hearing.

The investigation comes as President Trump has doubled down on his threat to retake control of the Panama Canal, arguing that the alleged treaty violations give the U.S. the right to take such an action. The treaty, which was signed in 1977, granted Panama full control of the canal by 1999, but it required Panama to ensure neutral and secure operation of the waterway.