Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) led a group of legislators on visits last week to Paraguay, Chile and Argentina.
On Monday, the House Ways and Means Committee released a statement detailing the trip, which included Smith and Reps. Mark Alford (R-Mo.), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Garret Graves (R-La.), Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) and Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.).
The delegation met with Argentina’s President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires and Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña in Asunción. They spoke with representatives from the Ministry of Finance of Chile at trade-focused talks in Santiago.
During the meeting with Milei, the representatives agreed with his position of continuing mutual support for Israel. He also talked about the economic reforms he sought to implement in the country and how the United States could assist.
When talking with Peña, the delegation discussed mutual support for Taiwan against potential Chinese aggression, also a subject of concern to Chilean officials.
“I am especially grateful to President Milei and President Peña for their hospitality and willingness to find ways to work together,” Smith said. “They acknowledged the importance of the relationship with the United States and were eager to find new opportunities to strengthen it.”
