Johnson's imperialist caucus
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A surprising number of Johnson's House Republicans are on board with Trump's new flavor of U.S. expansion.
- Even more surprising: The backers cut across the sometimes-warring factions of the House GOP.
Why it matters: "People who were snickering or laughing about it when it was first brought up are starting to actually realize it's a legitimate issue," centrist Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told us.
- "This is real," said Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), a member of the right-wing Freedom Caucus. "There are going to be some serious conversations."
State of play: A trio of House GOP bills would codify each one of Trump's proposed moves to either expand U.S. territory or its international influence.
- Panama Canal: Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) has introduced legislation that would allow Trump to enter into negotiations with Panama to try to reassert U.S. control.
- Greenland: Ogles introduced a similar bill to authorize negotiations with Denmark about purchasing Greenland.
- Gulf of Mexico: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has introduced a bill that would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" on official maps and documents.
Zoom out: A desire to counter China's international influence is at the heart of the effort, several co-sponsors told us.
- "We've been talking on the China Committee about ... China's growing influence on infrastructure across the globe, and I think the Panama Canal is hugely important to America," said Dusty Johnson.
- Lawler cited rare earth minerals and Arctic waterways as key factors in the push to acquire Greenland.
Zoom in: "This is literally in our backyard, front yard, however you want to look at it," Ogles said.
- "'America First' is, simply stated: When you have a foreign adversary who arguably is our greatest existential threat — meaning China — when they're making moves towards Greenland, we can't just sit idly by."
- Babin noted that the U.S. controlled the Panama Canal until the 1970s: "This is not intervention. This is not adventurism. This is a U.S.-built canal. There wasn't even a Panama. That was part of Colombia."
— Andrew Solender
