Trump’s Budget Director has strong Mayo roots

APPOINTMENT Pictured is Carolina Congressman Mick Mulvaney (centre) accepting the Congressional Champion of Irish Culture Award from Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform Chairperson Ciaran Staunton and USCII President Margo Gaine on Capitol Hill in 2014.

Neill O'Neill

PRESIDENT-ELECT of the United States of America, Donald Trump, has appointed an Irish-American politician with strong Mayo links to the prestigious position as his Budget Director.
South Carolina Congressman Mick Mulvaney’s family have strong roots in Mayo, from where his grandparents emigrated to the USA, and the announcement has been welcomed by the Irish American community stateside.
“Congressman Mulvaney has been a great friend of ours since he arrived on Capitol Hill in 2010 and we look forward to working with him,” said Ciaran Staunton, Chairman of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform.
This appointment with local connections follows on from that of US Vice-President Elect, Mike Pence, who also has strong family links with this region, having spent much time in his youth in the Mayo/Sligo border area.
Meanwhile, Mr Staunton, a native of Louisburgh who is currently back in his native west Mayo for the Christmas period, has been invited to address the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs on the topic ‘the issues facing emigrants returning to rural Ireland’.
A well-known advocate for the rights of Irish emigrants abroad, Mr Staunton has more recently been highlighting the plight of those who decide to return to Ireland after a period spent away from home, and the challenges that are routinely put in front of them in making returning home.
Speaking recently at an event in Dublin, Ciaran Staunton stated: “There is a real need for people in Ireland to understand that those returning home are not just returning immigrants, but are  in fact returning Irish citizens. There has been an out of sight, out of mind attitude by consecutive Irish Governments and official Ireland for too long, and a change of attitude and understanding is necessary.  The issues that returning Irish citizens face are: loss of no fault on car insurance benefits, they are unable to get loans from banks because they do not have recent credit history, while the lack of support from all Government agencies is startling.
“One issue in particular is how returning Irish citizens to their farms are being penalised because they had to go abroad to earn a living during the recession. I look forward to addressing these crucial issues for returning Irish citizens because now more than ever we need to raise our voices for equality for all our citizens.”