Pascrell Welcomes Italian President Sergio Mattarella to U.S. Capitol

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), co-chair of the Italian-American Congressional Delegation (IACD), today welcomed Italian President Sergio Mattarella to the nation’s capital.

Rep. Pascrell thanked President Mattarella for meeting with Congress and helping maintain the longstanding partnership between Italy and the United States.  Rep. Pascrell also lauded the work being done by the IACD to foster political and cultural ties with Italy.

“As co-chair of the Congressional Italian-American Delegation with my friend Congressman Mark Amodei, it was my pleasure to welcome President Mattarella to the Capitol today,” said Rep. Pascrell. “Italy is one of America’s closest allies. With a gravely concerning growth of nationalist movements occurring throughout the world, I reminded President Mattarella of his critical position to help defend the democratic values our two nations depend upon and share.

“I also urged President Mattarella to do more for displaced refugees fleeing violence and persecution, a struggle not unfamiliar to many of our Italian ancestors. It is my hope that we will have ample opportunities to meet with President Mattarella and his team going forward as we continue to grapple with the many geopolitical issues facing our two nations.”

A champion of promoting the contributions and successes of Italian-Americans, Rep. Pascrell has led efforts in the Congress to establish October in honor of Italian heritage. In addition to his position as co-chair of the Italian-American Delegation, he also serves as a legislative branch liaison to the Republic of Italy.

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