State Department surprises Panama with claim of fee cut for government ships

By Brady Knox

Published February 6, 2025 9:14am ET

The State Department surprised Panama with the announcement that U.S. government ships would pass through the Panama Canal for free.

In a Wednesday X post, the State Department announced that U.S. government vessels could now transit the Panama Canal without paying fees, “saving the U.S. government millions of dollars a year.” However, the Panama Canal Authority quickly denied the claim.