30 Jan 2019, 10:02
At its first meeting of 2019, the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence extended its congratulations to Ms Nancy Pelosi who was re-elected to the position of Speaker of the US House of Representatives earlier this month.
Members of the Committee commended Ms Pelosi for the support and assistance she has provided to Ireland over the years.
The Committee expressed disappointment with the outcome of recent negotiations to secure a deal on unused E3 visas. The bill, which was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Richard Neal and supported by Congressman Jerrold Nadler, passed unanimously in the House but did not pass in the Senate when one Senator put a hold on the bill.
Chair of the Committee, Brendan Smith TD said: “It was a disappointing outcome but we look forward to resuming engagement with our counterparts in Washington, in collaboration with the Irish Embassy there and Special Envoy John Deasy, to secure a favourable result in 2019”