Two influential US congressmen have urged US president Donald Trump to appoint a new White House special envoy to Northern Ireland, just days before Taoiseach Micheál Martin meets Mr Trump in Washington.
Calling for a new appointment to fill the place left by former Democratic congressman Joe Kennedy, congressmen Richie Neal, a Democrat, and Mike Kelly, a Republican, said an envoy would protect US interests in the North given growing concerns about tariffs.
“With the appointment of a new special envoy, US companies would have renewed certainty that their investment in the region is sound,” said the two senior politicians.
Northern Ireland special envoys have been appointed by every occupant of the White House since Bill Clinton, though the role has moved away from the political towards a focus on boosting Northern Ireland’s industry and developing trade links.
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In his first term, Mr Trump appointed Mick Mulvaney, his former chief of staff, to the job, though he has given little indication so far that he intends to do so again, despite similar appointments elsewhere in the world.
The timing of the letter by the veteran congressmen is unlikely to be accidental, since both head the bipartisan Friends of Ireland caucus and are senior members of the House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee, which approves US spending.
“Despite continued interest among American companies to further invest in the region, political instability and bureaucracy in Northern Ireland remains a genuine concern among stakeholders and policymakers on this side of the Atlantic,” the two said.
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Mr Neal, who has been deeply involved in Northern Ireland issues for decades, said that a US envoy to Belfast who could advocate for greater American investment was “essential” for its continued economic development.
“With the amount of money that the UK and others put into the North – I think that it needs a bigger and larger embrace of foreign enterprise and investment,” the Massachusetts congressman told the Financial Times.
The joint letter from the veteran congressmen comes as Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly lead a Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce delegation to North Carolina.
“This isn’t just going out there looking for foreign direct investment. This is about building strategic business-to-business relationships for our businesses to grow, and for their businesses to grow as well,” said Suzanne Wylie, the NI chamber’s chief executive.
