Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly led a Northern Ireland unionist delegation to St Patrick's Day events in Washington DC. The group attended a breakfast at Union Station hosted by the Northern Ireland Bureau. Over 300 people took part in the breakfast.

Unionist participants included DUP ministers Gordon Lyons and Paul Givan, Ulster Unionist leader Jon Burrows, MLA Jonathan Buckley, and Northern Ireland Assembly Speaker Edwin Poots. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt joined the delegation.

Little-Pengelly noted the absence of politicians who view themselves as most Irish. She described the turnout as enthusiastic about Northern Ireland. The delegation then went to a lunch in the US congressional building attended by US President Donald Trump, US Speaker Johnson, and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin.

Nesbitt pointed out that unionists boycotted US events in 1994 after Gerry Adams received a visa. He said the situation now reversed with Irish republicans boycotting.

Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald and First Minister Michelle O'Neill skipped the events due to US policies on Gaza. O'Neill spent the day with a rural community on Lough Neagh.

Little-Pengelly called it a privilege to represent Northern Ireland. She presented Northern Ireland as a trusted US partner with strengths in key sectors.