NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—Putting yourself first doesn’t mean you can’t have friends, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested on Monday at the SelectUSA Investment Summit just outside Washington, D.C.
His department’s annual event aims to woo foreign investment in the United States, an objective complicated by the Trump administration’s “America First” approach.
“We’re here to make deals happen,” Lutnick told the crowd on Monday. “To our foreign partners, we want you here. If you build here and commit to build here, the Department of Commerce will have the ability to assist you getting L-1 visas so that you can bring your employees in to launch the project. You’ll train American workers over time, but you can bring your people here, and we will set that infrastructure for you. The Department of Commerce has made a deal with the Secretary of State and the State Department that we will assist you in helping you get visas so you can build your factories here.”
The comments come as the Trump administration has levied heavy tariffs, strained relationships with allies and partners, and launched a war on Iran that has set off a chain reaction of economic effects, including skyrocketing gas and increased fertilizer prices, which could boost food costs and supply down the line.
Lutnick’s speech was largely a pep rally to push the idea that the U.S. is the land of opportunity. America First “doesn’t mean America alone,” he said. “It just means that we’re open for business, that we’re here for our workers, we’re here for our communities, and we’re here also to make sure that we can take care of ourselves for national security.”
Delegations from U.S. states seemed undeterred by political headwinds as they pitched projects to foreign attendees. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced a memorandum of understanding with Hitachi, which already has a presence in the state, to explore ways to use AI in developing data centers, energy and transportation infrastructure, biotechnology development, and advanced manufacturing.
Even amid the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, the state of Iowa is pressing on with goals to work with countries in the Middle East. Juliet Abdel, who leads the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, said the organization wants business relationships with Turkey, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
“We are pushing ahead with conversations…being more forward and having those conversations, because most organizations have not had an international focus before, and so it really has opened up the opportunity for us to have dialogue and really put this as a priority,” Abdel told Defense One.
She said Cedar Rapids hopes to convince more defense and aerospace companies to join London-based BAE Systems and RTX’s Collin Aerospace.
“There’s also over 1,000 acres of available land near our airport. Of that, over 500 acres of certified sites are certified through the state of Iowa as being ready for development. And then over the last several months, the state has invested in a study, commenced to really identify …categories within the aerospace and avionics that we can really target as having the most potential. And we’re developing that into a tool” expected to be released this summer.
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Overheard at SelectUSA. Amy Tachco, the State Department senior adviser and industry liaison for the visa office, gave an overview on visa requirements for foreign business travelers at the conference, including a continuous vetting process.
- “The administration has really made vetting a priority, and consular officers will take to ensure applicants meet all the eligibility requirements. As Secretary [Marco] Rubio has said, a visa is a privilege, not a right, so every single visa adjudication is treated as a national security matter,” she said Tuesday.
- A little background: The Trump administration recently expanded efforts to limit entry of certain foreign nationals, including broadening the State Department’s visa bond program, adding 12 new countries for a total of 50, to deter overstays.
- Who attended? The Gaylord convention center was bustling but it wasn’t immediately clear just how many of the attendees were foreign. (Defense One requested attendee stats for this year’s summit but hadn’t heard back by press time.) At a Monday networking reception, I spotted reps from Argentina and Switzerland. Earlier in the day, the U.S. ambassador to India announced that a dozen companies from the subcontinent had plans to invest in the United States. Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ireland’s ambassador to the U.S., said the country had sent its largest delegation ever to SelectUSA this year. Last year’s summit drew more than 5,500 participants from more than 100 countries, “and catalyzed nearly $1 billion in new investment announcements,” according to a Sept. 30 news release.
Making moves + other news
- Lockheed Martin will get a new aeronautics president. Starting June 1, Orlando Sanchez, Jr., who leads the company’s top-secret development Skunk Works division, will take over from Greg Ulmer, who is retiring after more than 30 years.
- Powerus adds another former Pentagon official. Milton “Jamie” Sands III, who will join the drone company’s advisory board, is a retired rear admiral who led U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command.
- BAE Systems opened a 150,000-square-foot factory in upstate New York to build high-voltage batteries for hybrid and electric aircraft and ground vehicles. The $65 million facility in Endicott was announced last year.
- Anduril will head an integration team for companies contracted for Golden Dome’s space-based interceptor program, including Impulse Space, Inversion Space, K2 Space, Sandia National Labs, and Voyager Technologies.
