Remarks by the Secretary of Commerce following the bilateral meeting with President-elect Bukele
I bring greetings from President Trump.
I am leading this delegation in support of a shared agenda of economic growth for El Salvador. The administration of President-elect Nayib Bukele and the United States share a common view that only through greater investment and improved job creation can El Salvador stay on a path of progress and prosperity.
I just met with the President-elect for an hour, and was greatly impressed with his determination and clear thinking. This meeting follows a meeting between the President-elect and OPIC in March, in which the United States committed to facilitate increased trade and investment toward strengthening El Salvador’s economy.
We agreed that, through OPIC, the United States would help finance a project to build a gas power generation facility. This $1 billion investment will be the largest ever private investment in El Salvador, and will create over 1,500 construction jobs and more than 80 permanent jobs afterwards. The plant will be the largest of its kind in El Salvador and will increase your power generating capacity by 23 percent, helping meet growing demand and reducing dependence on diesel and heavy fuel oil.
The United States private sector is already well represented here with more than 300 companies on the ground, having invested millions while supporting Corporate Social Responsibility Programs that benefit underserved and at-risk communities. We commit to you that the United States Private Sector will remain an engaged partner as your new Administration seeks to attract new investment and spur prosperity.
We look forward to working with President-elect Bukele and his staff to begin achieving those goals.
Thank you very much.
