Nashville Standard

United States Senator Bill Hagerty has secured a commitment from Ambassador Christopher Landau, the nominee for Deputy Secretary of State, to support American firms facing foreign expropriation threats. The focus is on companies like Vulcan Materials Company in Mexico and Honduras Próspera in Honduras.

During discussions, Hagerty highlighted the situation involving Vulcan Materials, an Alabama-based company with operations in Mexico. "You and I have talked specifically about the expropriation of Vulcan Materials," he stated, expressing concerns over their properties being seized by the Mexican government. He warned of potential Chinese Communist Party interest if these assets were sold.

Hagerty questioned Landau on how the U.S. should approach such challenges faced by its companies abroad. Landau responded, emphasizing his past role as ambassador where protecting American interests was paramount. "If an American company is being threatened or harassed by the local government...that is their job as the representatives of our country," he said.

Landau assured that if confirmed, he would promptly address these issues with the Mexican government. He stressed that it would not benefit Mexico's interest to have U.S. Senators raising such concerns during trade agreement discussions. "The headline should be about great investment opportunities in all of our countries in North America," Landau remarked.