Reclaiming the Canal: America’s $1 (Not Really) Deal to Take Back the Waterway

In a move that sounds like it was ripped from a renegade history book or a late-night political comedy sketch, a bill now circulating in Congress proposes giving the U.S. President the authority to negotiate the repurchase of the Panama Canal. 

Yes, you read that right—America might soon be back in the driver’s seat of that 51-mile waterway that once symbolized U.S. might, all for a price tag that, in earlier drafts, was jokingly set at a cool $1 (though the official version conveniently left that figure out of the fine print).

This new piece of legislation, dubbed the Panama Canal Repurchase Act, was introduced by a Republican congressman from a northern state. According to its backers, the bill isn’t just about reclaiming an iconic piece of infrastructure—it’s about projecting strength abroad and protecting U.S. interests from the rising influence of foreign powers, especially those who might, in theory, use the canal as a “choke point” in a moment of conflict.

Historically, the Panama Canal was constructed between 1903 and 1914, and the U.S. maintained control for decades after financing the project. But in a move meant to smooth relations with its southern neighbor—and, let’s be honest, to avoid any modern-day colonial guilt—the U.S. signed a treaty in the late 1970s, handing over control of the canal to Panama by the year 2000. 

Despite that, some in the current administration now claim that the canal’s increasing ties with global powers, and even a hint of Chinese involvement, signal that it’s time to “take back what’s rightfully ours.”

A top foreign policy official from the Trump-era administration, fresh from his diplomatic escapades in Latin America, warned that foreign companies could potentially turn the canal into a strategic asset in any future conflict—a claim that sent shivers down the spines of U.S. security strategists. “When a foreign power possesses, through its companies, the ability to choke off the flow of global trade in an instant, that is a threat we can’t ignore,” he said, adding that the canal represents a linchpin in America’s economic and military strategy.

 Not everyone, however, is ready for America’s “great repurchase.” 

The political leader of Panama, along with a high-ranking official in the Biden administration’s foreign policy team, dismissed the idea as both legally and diplomatically untenable. They argued that every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama—a legacy of a treaty forged decades ago—and that a change in control would upset the carefully balanced international order. 

“We have a treaty, we have established policies, and frankly, we’re not about to let a new bill rewrite history,” they stated in a joint press release that sounded a bit like a bad plot from a Cold War spy novel.

The bill has already attracted 29 Republican cosponsors and now awaits a vote in the House Natural Resources Committee, where its fate will be debated with all the gusto of a reality TV reunion show—minus the tearful confessions and dramatic reveals.

So, while some Americans dream of reclaiming the Panama Canal for a symbolic $1 deal (or close enough), others warn that such a move would be like trying to reassemble a classic car with missing parts—it might look nostalgic, but it could end up costing a fortune and sparking international scandal.

One thing’s for sure: if this bill passes, we’re in for a wild ride—one that might just prove that sometimes the best way to make a statement is to try to buy an entire waterway, all while leaving everyone wondering if history has finally met its match in the modern era of political theater.

 Please support my writing by tipping $1 at https://ko-fi.com/wilchard1102