LINCOLN, NEB. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, recently returned to the U.S. from a congressional delegation to Panama, a principal partner, and major non-NATO allies Colombia, Argentina, and Brazil. The trip was led by U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas).
The delegation investigated China’s growing influence in the region and supported U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)’s mission to strengthen U.S.-Latin America bilateral ties, security cooperation, and intergovernmental collaboration.
In addition to Sens. Fischer and Cornyn, the delegation included U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), and Ted Budd (R-N.C.).
“Our delegation met with senior officials from countries across Latin America to talk about ways to grow our important bilateral relationships. I appreciated our discussions on countering the growing influence of China, expanding our trading partnerships, and cracking down on the flow of dangerous narcotics. We also heard from U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency officials on the ground and American crewmembers aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) TAMPA. I appreciate Senator Cornyn’s work in leading this trip,” said Senator Fischer.
Members of the delegation meet Texan and USCG LT Jess Wright aboard the USCGC TAMPA in Cartagena, Colombia.
The delegation tours a seized drug lab with officials from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and Colombian law enforcement in Bogota, Colombia.
The delegation arrives at a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Argentina Marc Stanley and Deputy Chief of Mission Abigail Dressel.
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Background:
The delegation began their travels in Panama, where they met with U.S. Ambassador to Panama Mari Carmen Aponte and received briefings from U.S. officials on the People's Republic of China’s (PRC) growing influence in the country. They also met with Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo and members of his administration to discuss the historically strong relationship between the U.S. and Panama. Their visit concluded with a tour of the Panama Canal with Panama Canal Authority Administrator Ricuarte Vásquez to discuss the crucial role it plays in international trade, shipping, and commerce. Administrator Vásquez also shared updates on the canal’s growth, infrastructure projects, and desalinization technology.
To learn more about bilateral counternarcotic efforts, the delegation then traveled to Colombia. In Bogota, they joined members of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and Colombian law enforcement to tour a seized drug lab and discuss policies to curtail the drug trade in the region. In Cartagena, they met with American crewmembers aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) TAMPA and received briefings about migration in the maritime area, which spans the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, from Rear Admiral Mark Fedor, Joint Interagency Task Force South Director.
After landing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the delegation joined U.S. Ambassador to Argentina Marc Stanley and embassy officials for discussions with Argentine cabinet members, including Minister of Economy Sergio Massa, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship Santiago Cafiero, and Minister of Defense Jorge Taiana, on bilateral trade relations and the potential for increased energy investment and economic growth in the country.
The group also joined the Tripartite Command, an interagency security taskforce created by Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina, to see trafficking routes along the tri-border area and discuss their efforts to combat transnational threats.
The delegation then traveled to Rio de Janiero, Brazil to meet with senior Brazilian military leadership to discuss U.S.-Brazil security cooperation in the Atlantic Ocean, including addressing illegal fishing by the PRC.
Lastly, the group met with SOUTHCOM leadership, including Vice Admiral Alvin Holsey, SOUTHCOM Military Deputy Commander, on behalf of General Laura Richardson, SOUTHCOM Director, at their headquarters in Miami to discuss the key role their mission plays in forging lasting military-to-military relationships with our allies and partners in the region and confronting growing PRC threats.
All official press releases from Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE)
