The $2.4 billion “strategy for engagement” for El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras began in 2014 and included 370 projects to make local officials more accountable, reduce crime and create jobs. In an op-ed supporting the strategy, Vice President Biden praised the nations’ commitment to reform and even met with President Hernandez at the White House in 2015 – an endorsement that proved too bullish. “Instead of creating another commission that the governments can kick out, the U.S. can support nonprofits that have years of experience doing this work,” says Kurt Ver Beek, co-founder of the Association for a More Just Society in Honduras, who joined the talks with Zuniga.