he U.S. took over the project in 1904 under President Theodore Roosevelt, and completed construction in 1914. The U.S. paid around $375 million for the canal, which included $10 million paid to Panama and $40 million paid to the French company. At the time, it was the most expensive construction project in U.S. history.
Why should we continue to pay exorbitant fees to use something we paid for and built? Giving them control over it should not have meant losing ownership of it.