Moreno, Hegseth Travel to Panama to Bolster Alliance Against Cartels

WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) traveled with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Panama to meet with President José Raúl Mulino and Ambassador Cabrera, and Colombian officials. During the event, Senator Moreno delivered remarks on the importance of strengthening cooperation with our Latin America allies to combat cartels and other illicit activities within the Western hemisphere. Senator Moreno’s remarks as prepared are below: “President Mulino, Secretary Hegseth, Ambassador Cabrera, distinguished ministers, commanders, and friends of the Americas: “Thank you for the honor of joining you today and thank you especially to President Mulino for hosting this critical gathering in Panama. Ambassador Cabrera, your leadership here continues to strengthen the vital partnership between our two nations, and you continue to set the bar for Ambassadors around the globe. “I speak to you not only as a United States Senator, but as someone born in Latin America. My family left Colombia seeking the American dream: opportunity, safety, and the rule of law. And we found just that. The United States gave me every opportunity for success, and I could not have achieved what I did anywhere else on earth. That personal journey shapes everything I believe about this fight. There is a reason the American dream does not exist throughout all the Americas. Narco terrorist organizations pillage, corrupt, and rob Latin Americans of their god given rights to live freely and securely. These cartels crush families, whether in the neighborhoods of Colombia, along the routes through Panama, in the cities of Ohio, and across our entire hemisphere. “Cartels have no borders. They spread their poison, their corruption, and their destruction of economic prosperity with total impunity. They recruit our young people, murder our citizens, corrupt our institutions, and steal the future from the next generation. We have lived through too much murder, too much crime, and too much insecurity. Enough is enough. “We can end this downward cycle of decay by offering an alternative to drug trafficking and other illicit activities. A permanent end to this tragedy starts with prosperity. That is why economic security is inseparable from national security. Prosperity is one of the strongest weapons we have against these criminal networks. When legitimate businesses thrive and young people see real opportunity for a good life, the cartels lose their recruiting base and their hold on communities. That is why the United States must reward our closest allies — the nations gathered in this room today — with favorable trade agreements that allow them to take full advantage of America’s decoupling from China. As we reshore supply chains and reduce dependence on Beijing, our trusted partners in the Americas should be the first to benefit. Stronger economies in free nations mean weaker cartels. “President Trump created the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition for one clear purpose: a coordinated, determined response that wipes these terrorists out forever. Panama has already shown under President Mulino what focused leadership and real cooperation can achieve. Now we must scale that resolve across the hemisphere. Colombia, with its unique geography and its new direction, must play a leading role. No strategy succeeds without closing the production and transit corridors that feed this poison. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, the time is now. The tools are in our hands. The will is building. The opportunity is here. “Let us seize this moment. Let us act with clarity, with courage, and with unity. The families of the Americas are counting on us. “Thank you.”