Liberian Senate Poised To Securitize USAID-Funded Projects

Monrovia, Liberia: Following the global suspension of all projects under the United States Agency of International Development (USAID), as ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump, opposition Senator Saah Harley Joseph has implored the Plenary of the Liberian Senate to mandate the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to conduct a comprehensive audit of all USAID-funds allocated to various government’s functionaries from the period of 2018 to 2025.

In a communication addressed to the Plenary of the Liberian Senate through Senate Pro Tempore, Nyonblee Karrnga-Lawrence, Senator Joseph stressed the exigency of a rigorous financial examination of USAID’s financial contributions to the Liberia under the period mentioned above.

According to Senator Joseph, as captured in his letter, the expected audit of USAID financial contributions to Liberia will cover education, health, infrastructure, and the economic sectors.

He said financial examination of USAID supported development projects will endeavor to appraise the donation of monies, evaluate compliance with monetary guidelines, and assess overall efficiency.

Senator Joseph: “There is a need to understand the gaps and assess how USAID funding has trickled down. This audit will help us restructure benefits, enhance budget planning, and ensure that decisions made on future appropriations are based on accurate data.”

Senator Joseph’s communication has subsequently being forwarded to the Senate’s Committee on Public Accounts and Audit for further deliberation. The Public Accounts and Audit Committee have been mandated by Senator Pro Tempore to thoroughly scrutinize the Montserrado County Senator’s request and forward its recommendations to the Senate’s Plenary within the period of seven days.

Senator Joseph contends that the financial review would present an opportunity to judge the execution of USAID-funded projects which will place the Liberian Senate in the right frame of mind to determine whether or not all the USAID-sponsored projects achieve its intended purposes.

As captured in his communication, Senator Joseph defined four key parts for the audit, which includes the delivery of USAID monies to government’s functionaries, compliance to monetary and purchasing regulatory procedures, the efficiency of projects in meeting its targeted objectives, and identifying  instances of any monetary mishandling or misappropriation of financial resources.

Senator Joseph voiced his strong conviction as stated in his communication to the Senate that the financial examination of USAID-Sponsored projects by the GAC will nurture a culture of responsibility and strengthen Liberia’s commitment to good governance.

Senator Joseph entreats his fellow Senators to give attention to his advocacy for the audit which according to him will cement Liberia’s partnership with USAID and as well boost donor’s confidence.

He noted that the suspension of USAID sponsored projects as announced by President Trump on Monday, January 20, 2025 for ninety (90) days as urgent reason for a broader evaluation of the projects.

The Senator argued that the audit, when conducted would strengthen Liberia’s integrity in handling future donor funding.

It can be recalled that President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order temporarily suspending all U.S. foreign assistance programs for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they are aligned with his policy goals.

It was not immediately clear how much assistance would initially be affected by the order as funding for many programs has already been appropriated by the U.S. Congress and is obligated to be spent, if not already spent.

The order, amongst many Trump signed on his first day back in office, said the “foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values” and “serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries.”

So, Trump declared that “no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States.”

Edited: E. Geedahgar Garsuah, Sr.