"We're here to make deals happen," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told the crowd on Monday — and he laid out a concrete pathway for doing so: Department of Commerce help securing L-1 visas for foreign employees who commit to build factories and operations in the United States.
Howard Lutnick’s SelectUSA pitch: "America First doesn't mean America alone"
At the SelectUSA Investment Summit outside Washington, D.C., Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick framed the administration's economic message as recruitment rather than isolation. "America First 'doesn't mean America alone,'" he said, adding that the Commerce Department wants foreign partners to locate investment in the United States and that it would "set that infrastructure for you" to bring employees to launch projects. His remarks were presented as part pep rally and part policy sales pitch aimed at foreign delegations and state economic development teams.
The visa assistance commitment with the State Department
Lutnick described a specific interagency understanding: "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." He singled out L-1 visas as the vehicle Commerce will help foreign companies use to bring their initial employees to the U.S., with the expectation those companies will train American workers over time.
State delegations and local economic pitches: Oklahoma and Cedar Rapids
State delegations used the summit to court foreign investors despite geopolitical headwinds, including the ongoing U.S.-Israel war on Iran that the report says has driven up energy and fertilizer prices. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced a memorandum of understanding with Hitachi to explore AI applications in data centers, energy and transportation infrastructure, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. In Iowa, Juliet Abdel of the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance said the organization is pursuing business relationships with Turkey, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and is seeking to attract defense and aerospace companies to join existing London-based BAE Systems and RTX’s Collin Aerospace.
Abdel noted local capacity: Cedar Rapids has "over 1,000 acres of available land near our airport" with more than 500 acres certified as ready for development. The state has invested in a study to identify aerospace and avionics categories to target and is developing a tool expected to be released this summer.
Amy Tachco on vetting and recent visa-bond expansion
Amy Tachco, the State Department senior adviser and industry liaison for the visa office, summarized visa requirements for business travelers and underscored 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 told attendees.
The summit commentary included an account of recent policy moves: the administration has broadened the State Department’s visa bond program, adding 12 new countries for a total of 50, as a tool to deter overstays.
Defense business headlines: leadership moves, new facilities, and space integration
- Lockheed Martin will install a new aeronautics president on June 1: Orlando Sanchez, Jr., who currently leads the company's Skunk Works division, will take over from Greg Ulmer, who is retiring after more than 30 years.
- Powerus added Milton "Jamie" Sands III to its advisory board. Sands is a retired rear admiral who led U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command and will advise the drone company.
- BAE Systems opened a 150,000-square-foot facility in Endicott, New York, to build high-voltage batteries for hybrid and electric aircraft and ground vehicles. The $65 million factory had been announced the prior year.
- Anduril will head an integration team for companies contracted on Golden Dome’s space-based interceptor program, coordinating partners including Impulse Space, Inversion Space, K2 Space, Sandia National Labs, and Voyager Technologies.
How state economic development offices, foreign investors, and defense contractors are responding
- State economic development offices: States are using SelectUSA to translate federal openness into tangible local offers — exemplified by Oklahoma's MOU with Hitachi and Iowa's certified development sites and study-driven targeting tool.
- Foreign investors and company delegations: Delegations from India, Ireland (Geraldine Byrne Nason noted Ireland sent its largest delegation ever), Argentina and Switzerland were present, and the U.S. ambassador to India announced a dozen companies from the subcontinent planned to invest in the U.S., signaling continued interest despite higher vetting and tariff pressures.
- Defense contractors and integrators: Companies active in defense and aerospace are watching both the Commerce-led visa assistance offer and the tighter vetting regime; lockstep leadership changes and new manufacturing capacity (Lockheed, BAE) suggest firms are positioning for sustained programmatic demand.
Two facts punctuate the summit’s messaging: organizers promoted the U.S. as open for business while federal officials emphasized tougher vetting, and state actors continued to cultivate foreign partnerships even as Defense One noted it had not yet received attendee statistics for this year’s summit. Cedar Rapids’ targeting tool, due this summer, and the unanswered question of how many foreign delegations attended will be concrete markers to watch for evidence that the Commerce Department's visa assistance pitch is converting interest into commitments.
