Politics

Marco Rubio says Panama must reduce Chinese influence around the canal or face possible U.S. action

Published

2 hours ago

February 3, 2025

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio brought a warning to Panamanian leader José Raúl Mulino on Sunday: Immediately reduce what President Donald Trump says is Chinese influence over the Panama Canal area or face potential retaliation from the United States.

Rubio, traveling to the Central American country and touring the Panama Canal on his first foreign trip as top U.S. diplomat, held face-to-face talks with Mulino, who has resisted pressure from the new U.S. government over management of a waterway that is vital to global trade.

Mulino told reporters after the meeting that Rubio made “no real threat of retaking the canal or the use of force.”

Speaking on behalf of Trump, who has demanded that the canal be returned to U.S. control, Rubio told Mulino that Trump believed that China’s presence in the canal area may violate a treaty that led the United States to turn the waterway over to Panama in 1999. That treaty calls for the permanent neutrality of the American-built canal.

“Secretary Rubio made clear that this status quo is unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the treaty,” the State Department said in a summary of the meeting.

The statement was unusually blunt in diplomatic terms, but in keeping with the tenor and tone Trump has set for foreign policy. Trump has been increasing pressure on Washington’s neighbors and allies, including the canal demand and announcing Saturday that he was imposing major tariffs on Canada and Mexico. That launched a trade war by prompting retaliation from those close allies.

Mulino, meanwhile, called his talks with Rubio “respectful” and “positive” and said he did not “feel like there’s a real threat against the treaty and its validity.”

The President did say Panama would not be renewing its agreement with China’s Belt and Road Initiative when it expires. Panama joined the initiative, which promotes and funds infrastructure and development projects that critics say leave poor member countries heavily indebted to China, after dropping diplomatic recognition of Taiwan and recognizing Beijing.

Rubio later toured the canal at sunset with its administrator, Ricaurte Vásquez, who has said the waterway will remain in Panama’s hands and open to all countries. Rubio crossed the lock and visited the control tower, looking down over the water below, where a red tanker was passing through.

Earlier, about 200 people marched in the capital, carrying Panamanian flags and shouting “Marco Rubio out of Panama,” “Long live national sovereignty” and “One territory, one flag” while the meeting was going on. Some burned a banner with images of Trump and Rubio after being stopped short of the presidential palace by riot police.

Rubio also pressed Trump’s top focus — curbing illegal immigration — telling Panama’s president that it was important to collaborate on the work and thanked him for taking back migrants. Rubio’s trip, however, comes as a U.S. foreign aid funding freeze and stop-work orders have shut down U.S.-funded programs targeting illegal migration and crime in Central American countries.

In a Sunday evening post on X, formerly Twitter, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he’s heading to the U.S.-Mexico border Monday to visit troops deployed as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown.

In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece on Friday, Rubio said mass migration, drugs and hostile policies pursued by Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela have wreaked havoc, and port facilities at either end of the canal are run by a China-based company, leaving the waterway vulnerable to pressure from the Beijing government.

“The President’s been pretty clear he wants to administer the canal again,” Rubio said Thursday. “Obviously, the Panamanians are not big fans of that idea. That message has been brought very clear.”

Despite Mulino’s rejection of any negotiation over ownership, some believe Panama may be open to a compromise under which canal operations on both sides are taken away from the Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports company, which was given a 25-year no-bid extension to run them. An audit into the suitability of that extension is already underway and could lead to a rebidding process.

What is unclear is whether Trump would accept the transfer of the concession to an American or European company as meeting his demands, which appear to cover more than just operations.

Rubio’s trip, which will also take him to El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, comes amid a freeze in U.S. foreign assistance. The State Department said Sunday that Rubio had approved waivers for certain critical programs in countries he is visiting but details of those were not immediately available.

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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

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Ron DeSantis promotes ‘focus on fiscal responsibility’ for proposed Florida budget

Published

8 minutes ago

February 3, 2025

May Greene

With a proposed Florida budget of $115.6 billion, which would leave $14.6 billion in reserves, Gov. Ron DeSantis said fiscal responsibility will be the theme for his 2025-26 spending plan, and his budget’s name this year reflects that.

The “Focus on Fiscal Responsibility” budget represents a “significant’ reduction” over last year’s budget, DeSantis said.

“Florida’s steadfast commitment to fiscal conservatism is why we are in such good financial shape,” DeSantis said in a news release Monday. “Florida has experienced historic success by keeping government spending low while balancing significant investments in meaningful initiatives. These include expanding workforce education for high-demand jobs, providing family-first tax relief, ensuring that Florida’s students can access a quality education that fits their needs, expanding infrastructure to reduce congestion and restoring the Everglades.

“It is proof positive that when you act responsibly with taxpayers’ money, success will follow. I look forward to accomplishing even more for this state in the coming year on this firm financial footing.”

DeSantis said there have been 2.7 million new businesses launched in the state since 2019, the year he moved into the Governor’s Mansion. He added that under his administration, fiscal conservatism has helped pay down $1.7 billion in tax-supported debt while providing $2.2 billion in tax relief, all while reducing the size of government in the state.

The Legislative Session gets underway in Tallahassee March 4, during which lawmakers will craft and approve the state budget, typically with the Governor’s proposal as a guide post. DeSantis said he has his eye on continuing tax relief for Floridians by repealing the state’s business rent tax; creating a new venture capital tax credit program to spur investments in research, innovation, science and engineering; and continuing a plethora of other programs, such as back-to-school and disaster preparedness sales tax holidays.

His “Focus on Fiscal Responsibility” budget will also prioritize “home hardening programs to continue efforts to lower property insurance premiums for Floridians and help reduce the costly impacts of hurricane damage to homes across the state.”

DeSantis also pointed out he’ll emphasize primary education in kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as higher education.

While DeSantis is committed to financial restraint, he does call for expansion of services, such as disaster response and “investing in a healthier Florida.”

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Electric vehicle charging stations could help fund infrastructure projects

Published

38 minutes ago

February 3, 2025

May Greene

The new measure could add millions of dollars to state coffers for infrastructure projects.

Florida lawmakers have proposed using certain funds gathered from public electric vehicle charging stations to help fund much needed critical infrastructure projects, such as new roads.

The measure (SB 462), filed by Indian Rocks Beach Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie, would move funds gathered from Florida’s public electric charging stations to the State Transportation Trust Fund through the Department of Transportation.

To address the impact of electric and hybrid vehicles and avoid implementing a new tax for electric vehicles, Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed distributing the current energy storage tax to support road projects, which is $4 million, according to Chris Dudley of The Southern Group.

The Florida Department of Transportation would distribute 6-cents per kilowatt hour of electricity used at public charging stations to the trust fund, which would begin in October 2025 and would be paid every month before the 25th day thereafter if the bill passes, according to bill language.

There are currently more than 11,200 public electric charging stations across the state, Axios reported. There were also nearly 168,000 registered electric vehicles in the state as of May 2024, putting Florida second behind California for most electric vehicle drivers in the U.S. The state is further aiming to have a public charging station placed at least every 40 miles.

The new measure could add millions of dollars to state coffers for infrastructure projects. The bill further notes the disbursal of funds to the trust fund would sunset on June 30, 2030.

The average electric vehicle uses approximately 34.6 kWh of electricity to travel 100 miles, according to GenCell, which also noted the electricity used by the average American driver would equate to 336.9 kWh per month. Per day, electric vehicles use approximately 11.3 kWh. Most public charging stations use between 10 and 30 kWh per charge, which would mean the state could collect between 60-cents to $1.80 every time a charging station is used.

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Ron DeSantis predicts Florida Supreme Court will block marijuana amendment from ballot

Published

1 hour ago

February 3, 2025

May Greene

Gov. Ron DeSantis predicted efforts to put marijuana legislation back on the ballot won’t pass muster in court.

Weeks after Smart & Safe Florida launched a fresh effort to put a legalization measure on the 2026 ballot, DeSantis said he remains opposed to the new proposal, just as he opposed one that failed to pass in 2024.

“There’s a lot of different perspectives on marijuana. It should not be in our constitution,” he said at a news conference on Monday. “If you feel strongly about it, you have elections for the Legislature. Go back candidates that you believe will be able to deliver what your vision is on that.”

He asserted the ballot language for the new proposal may not even be cleared by the Florida Supreme Court.

“There’s all kinds of things going on in here,” he said. “I think it’s going to have big-time trouble getting through the Florida Supreme Court. Honestly, as written, I don’t think it will even be on the ballot.”

Of note, the makeup of the Florida Supreme Court has not changed since justices in April approved an “Adult Use of Marijuana” measure for the ballot. That measure saw about 56% support from voters but failed to reach the 60% threshold needed for the amendment to be enshrined in the Florida Constitution.

While DeSantis did not detail why he thinks the court will reject the new proposal, which includes a prohibition on smoking marijuana in public places, he raised some of the concerns he hammered during the 2024 campaign.

Most notably, he said the measure still fails to explicitly allow homegrown marijuana, which would effectively leave that ability to licensed cultivators, similar to Florida’s existing medical marijuana program.

“What they say is they don’t give you that right. They say, well, the Legislature’s allowed to, but guess what’ll happen if this passes?” DeSantis said. “Do you think they’re going to be in favor of you growing your own or against? Of course, they’re going to lobby against, and they have a lot of money to be able to try to influence the legislature as a result of that.”

Smart & Safe Florida declined to comment on DeSantis’ latest comments. The campaign, which was funded primarily by Trulieve, has never opposed homegrown marijuana cultivation. During last year’s campaign, officials stressed lawmakers could legalize homegrown medical marijuana under current law.