The plenary of the Liberian Senate has mandated its committees on Ways, Means, Finance and Budget as well as Foreign Affairs to invite the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance and Development Planning, Health and Social Welfare, Education and Agriculture to analyze the impacts of the recent foreign aid suspension by the United States of America.
The plenary’s decision was based on a communication from senators Amara M. Konneh of Gbarpolu County, Edwin M. Snowe, Jr. of Bomi County, Gbezhongar M. Findley of Grand Bassa County, Abraham Darius Dillon of Montserrado County and Augustine Chea of Sinoe County, drawing the body’s attention to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent Policy to temporarily suspend a significant portion of foreign assistance as part of his “America First” initiative, resulting in the pause of billions of dollars in global funding.
The senators believed that the United States’ suspension of foreign aid presents considerable challenges to important initiatives focused on enhancing the nation’s public health, education and agriculture sectors—as indicated in the United States-Liberia formalized Amendment 14 and 15 to the Development Objective (DAOG), an agreement that entails an additional investment of US$114,488,125, which accounts for approximately 14 percent of the country’s budget.
The senators maintained that these initiatives are crucial for providing essential medications to children and individuals facing serious health conditions, sustaining the educational programs for students and addressing the serious food insecurity and jobs for people in the agriculture sector.