Premier Paula Cox, Deputy Premier Derrick Burgess and Economy Minister Kim Wilson are leading a delegation to Washington, DC.Jobs, reinsurance, border control, agriculture, energy and the environment are among the issues up for discussion as Ms Cox makes the annual trip for the first time since becoming Premier.Meetings have been set up with high level officials in President Barack Obama’s administration including the Departments of Treasury, State and Labour, as well as with Congressional Members in the Senate and the House of Representatives.According to a statement, Government says it wants to update “long-standing friends” on matters of mutual interest and to make introductions with new Members of Congress.The trip will include a meeting with the national director of the United States Department of Labour Job Corps National Office, to follow up a visit to Bermuda from a contractor with the United States Job Corps.The Bermuda Association of Insurers and Reinsurers will also host a reception in honour of Ms Cox, and the Premier will host a luncheon at Bermuda’s Washington office with the theme “Women in Leadership”.Only limited details on the trip were provided yesterday, but Government listed agriculture, energy, environment and border control as areas for discussion.Government has long spoken of the need to tighten up border controls as it tries to stop an influx of guns into the Island, while Ms Cox has described improving Bermuda’s record on the environment as a key part of her agenda as Premier.The meetings, spread over the first three days of this week, are a result of the combined efforts of US Consul General Grace Shelton and Washington-based affiliates of Bermuda Government.The annual trip was initiated under former Premier Alex Scott, and has seen Bermuda arguing against tax legislation which could seriously harm the Island and pushing for the US to foot the bill for the clean-up of the former Baselands and revise the way it handles the stop list.Ms Cox has been on a number of occasions in her role as Finance Minister, accompanying Mr Scott and her predecessor Ewart Brown.Useful websites: www.gov.bm