Newly re-elected President Barack Obama will once again deal with a divided Congress as Democrats retained control of the US Senate, while Republicans kept their solid majority in the House of Representatives.

Efforts in Washington DC to secure passage of a bill that would help skilled Irish workers to get a US visa appear unable to overcome partisan obstacles in Congress.

A Republican senator has placed a hold on an immigration bill which is making its way through the US Senate and backed by Irish-American groups in recent months.

US president Barack Obama today sought to assure Democrats he would not abandon his commitment to overhauling health care and would work to counter Republican challenges to his party’s congressional dominance.