Democrats don’t want to admit Trump’s right about anything. But the facts tell the whole story.
And now expert testimony in Congress confirms Trump was right all along.
A top international law expert told the Senate on Tuesday that the United States doesn’t need to wait for China or any other hostile nation to make a move at the Panama Canal before taking decisive action to protect American interests in this vital shipping route.
Eugene Kontorovich, a professor at George Mason University’s Scalia Law School, reminded senators that the U.S. has every right to intervene under its long-standing treaty with Panama. The agreement, established in the 1970s, includes “understandings” that explicitly allow America to defend the canal “against any threat to the regime of neutrality.”
“That’s why the treaty specifically says that we can act, not just to end actual obstructions to the canal,” Kontorovich explained. “We don’t have to wait until the canal is closed by hostile military action. That would be a suicide pact that would be catastrophic for us.”
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee’s hearing centered on the growing influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over the canal. A major concern is the Hong Kong-based company Hutchison Ports, which controls ports at both ends of the canal and could act as Beijing’s proxy in a crisis.
This hearing comes as President Trump pushes to regain control of the strategic waterway, highlighting the serious national security risks posed by China’s growing grip on global shipping lanes. Trump has openly accused China of controlling the Panama Canal—a charge that both Panamanian and Chinese officials have, predictably, denied.
Unlike the weak, passive approach of previous administrations, President Trump has refused to rule out military action if necessary to secure U.S. interests.
Witnesses at the hearing acknowledged that the Panama Canal is officially managed by the Panama Canal Authority. However, there is no denying China’s significant influence, especially through Panama’s participation in Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative—another scheme for the CCP to expand its global control.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, raised the alarm over the close ties between Hutchison Ports and the Chinese government. He questioned whether these connections could allow Beijing to disrupt shipping through the canal at will, potentially violating the treaty.
“[The Chinese government] could go to these two companies saying, ‘Hey, shut it down, make it hard, sink a ship in the canal,’” Sullivan warned. “And wouldn’t they be obligated to do that under Chinese law if they were ordered to by the PLA or the CCP?”
Kontorovich acknowledged that while it was unclear if Hutchison Ports would be legally required to follow such an order, the reality is that “Beijing does have many tools of leverage and pressure on these companies.”
Sen. Tim Sheehy, another Republican from Montana, pressed further, asking how quickly China could bring the canal to a standstill. He referenced the 2021 Ever Given disaster, when a massive container ship blocked the Suez Canal for six days, crippling global shipping.
Federal Maritime Commissioner Daniel Maffei conceded that China “could probably do a similar thing,” acknowledging that such an act would be outright terrorism. However, Maffei noted that Beijing doesn’t even need military force to accomplish its goals.
“It’s not hard to close off a waterway,” Maffei admitted. “The Panama Canal is actually quite vulnerable in terms of infrastructure. It’s not, you know, this is not a fort or militarily reinforced location … Why would they bother with a military-like operation when they can get what they want with non-military means?”
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz underscored President Trump’s concerns about China’s growing influence in the region. Over the years, the treaty negotiated by then-President Jimmy Carter—widely criticized as a disastrous giveaway—has been exploited, making the U.S. increasingly vulnerable to foreign control over the canal.
While the hearing focused on the alarming implications of China’s control, Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar attempted to shift the conversation away from this national security crisis. Instead, she bizarrely fixated on President Trump’s decision to freeze federal grant funding, a move designed to prevent wasteful spending and refocus America’s economic priorities.
Klobuchar took issue with a memo from Trump’s acting Office of Management and Budget director, which temporarily paused “all federal financial assistance” except for Social Security and Medicare. The order went into effect Tuesday night.
“Freezing all federal funding already granted to improve port and freight infrastructure through the port infrastructure program, seems to me a major problem we should be addressing if we’re talking about America’s shipping interests,” Klobuchar complained, trying to distract from the real issue: China’s tightening grip on global trade routes.
At the end of the day, President Trump’s America First approach stands in stark contrast to the failed leadership of the past. While Democrats bicker over bureaucratic funding, Trump remains laser-focused on protecting the U.S. from the looming threat of Chinese control over the Panama Canal.
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