Monrovia, Liberia – Speaker of the House of Representatives Jonathan Fonati Koffa has made it clear that the House of Representatives acted correctly in passing the President’s special budget in order to prevent a government shutdown.
According to President Joseph Boakai’s request, the House of Representatives has approved a US$41.3 million special budget for February. In February, the President asked the Legislature for authorization to spend $41.3 million, while his administration worked on the draft national budget for 2024 to present to the Legislature for endorsement.
Based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Ways, Means, Finance, and Public Accounts and Expenditure, which was chaired by Representative Dixon Seboe (District #16, Montserrado County), the House made the decision. The budget was then sent to the Senate of Liberia. The Senate has already written a letter to the President requesting his signature in agreement with the House.
The president’s plan was supported by the majority of parliamentarians, although some, including Rep. Musa Bility, questioned its legitimacy and recommended its rejection. Congressman Bility claimed that the budget lacked thorough justification. He stressed the importance of openness and precision, particularly when it comes to making debt payments. He said that it was unlawful and against Liberia’s Public Financial Management Law to request the use of an extra $41.3 million.
Speaker Koffa described the choice as a just political one that complied with the law while addressing to legislative media on Capitol Hill. He clarified that it was appropriate to approve the President’s request to spend US$41.3 million while the Legislature worked on the budget, given that the Legislature had made the extraordinary choice to return the draft budget so that the Boakia-Koung administration may realign in line with its programs. The Speaker also declared that he was unprepared to spearhead a political ploy that would choke off the government’s resources and stop paying civil servants their salaries.
The speaker added that the budget is void of politics, noting that, the civil servants deserve better than the CDC or UP.
