"So much of the current bilateral relationship is based on rebuilding trust. The impact of this announcement together with the attacks are no doubt damaging to all that’s been accomplished the past couple years,” pointed out AS/COA's Alana Tummino.

“The Jones Act long ago outlived its usefulness and should have been overturned or significantly weakened years ago...it is now harming U.S. citizens,” said AS/COA's Eric Farnsworth on Puerto Rico's humanitarian crisis. 

AS/COA's Eric Farnsworth discussed U.S. sanctions on Venezuela underlining that “it’s about raising the cost of behavior by the government in Caracas that the international community has clearly rejected.” 

U.S. trade volumes with Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Panama are at their lowest levels in six years.

The U.S. vice president visits Colombia, Argentina, Chile, and Panama through August 17. While trade is a major focus, Venezuela keeps coming up.

"El foco de nuestra ayuda [en Centroamérica] no está en entregar dinero, sino en que la inversión privada cree un ambiente con instituciones fuertes", aseguró el Subsecretario Adjunto del Departamento de Estado John Creamer en un foro de AS/COA.