Monrovia, Liberia – The House of Representatives acted appropriately in passing the President’s special budget to avert a government shutdown, according to Speaker of the House Jonathan Fonati Koffa.
The House of Representatives has accepted President Joseph Boakai’s request for a US$41.3 million special budget to be used for February. The President had asked the Legislature for authorization to spend $41.3 million in February while his administration worked on the draft national budget for 2024 to present to the Legislature for approval.
The Joint Committee on Ways, Means, Finance, and Public Accounts and Expenditure, under the direction of Representative Dixon Seboe (District #16, Montserrado County), recommended that the House take this action. It then sent the budget to the Senate of Liberia. The Senate has already approved the House’s resolution and forwarded it to the President for signature.
The majority of legislature supported the President’s proposal, although some, including Rep. Musa Bility, questioned its legitimacy and recommended against it. Rep. Bility claimed there were insufficient explanations in the budget. He underlined the importance of openness and precision, particularly in relation to debt repayment. He said that the request to use an extra $41.3 million was unlawful and in violation of Liberia’s Public Financial Management Law.
Speaking to Capitol Hill legislative media, Speaker Koffa described the choice as a just political one that complied with the law. Granting the President’s request to spend US$41.3 million while it works on the budget was appropriate, he added, as the Legislature made the historic decision to return the draft budget so that the Boakia-Koung administration may realign in line with its programs. Furthermore, the Speaker declared that he was unprepared to spearhead a political ploy that would choke off the government and stop paying civil servants their paychecks.
The speaker continued, saying that there is no political influence in the budget and that government servants deserve better rather than the CDC or UP politics.
