The United States government announced that Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent will travel to Argentina on April 14. Per the official statement, Bessent is set to meet with government officials and business leaders to affirm Washington’s “full support” for the country’s economic reforms.

“Thanks to the bold leadership of President Javier Milei, the relationship between the United States and Argentina is stronger than ever. I look forward to our positive discussions about Argentina’s economy and to exploring the ways our nations can further deepen our vital economic relationship,” Bessent said in the press release.

The visit comes at a crucial time for Milei as he awaits the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to put the final stamp of approval on a new US$20 billion loan for the country. The Fund announced on Tuesday that it had reached a staff-level agreement for the deal but that the executive board has yet to debate the proposal. According to the lender, this could happen “in the coming days,” with local media speculating that this could happen as early as Friday.

Bessent will arrive in Buenos Aires on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend reciprocal tariffs for all countries except China for 90 days. The announcement came just days after U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that Argentina was one of four countries that was negotiating a tariff cut with the Trump administration. 

The move was a follow-up to Argentina’s swift decision to begin implementing changes to trade regulations in the face of Trump’s tariffs. Speaking at an event in the U.S. last week, President Milei said his administration had already modified norms related to import restrictions, access to the foreign exchange market for imports, customs barriers, and commerce facilitation, among other things. He also instructed the Foreign Ministry and the Secretary of Commerce to change whatever other norms were necessary.

“Just like President Trump, we do politics with facts, not just words. This is a time of action,” he said at the time, adding that his government is “committed to resolving the [trade] asymmetry with the United States in a short period.”

Argentina is going through an international reserve scarcity crisis. Gross international reserves now sit at US$24.6 billion, while net international reserves are around minus US$10 billion. The Central Bank was forced to sell dollars in 18 out of the last 19 working days amid local and international market volatility.