Select Committee Chairman John Moolenaar and Congressman Carlos Gimenez met with members of Panama's National Assembly in Washington, DC, on November 19, 2025. The meeting focused on the relationship between the United States and Panama, concerns about China's growing influence in the western hemisphere, and the strategic importance of the Panama Canal.
After the meeting, Moolenaar stated: "In my meeting with the legislators from Panama we had a candid conversation about the failures of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. This Chinese initiative saddles countries with debt and loans they will never be able to take back, and then China takes control of a country’s critical infrastructure. In Panama, the canal is critical infrastructure that must never be controlled by China. China’s malign influence in our hemisphere must be stopped and any deal on the Panama Canal must preclude any Chinese companies from taking part."
The discussion was organized as part of the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program.
