Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon has called on members of the 55th Legislature, particularly the Liberian Senate, to demonstrate greater determination in scrutinizing the National Budgets, insisting that lawmakers must move beyond routine reviews and exercise their constitutional authority to ensure that public resources are appropriated in the best interest of the Liberian people.
Speaking during his opening remarks at the opening of the Third Quarter of the Third Session of the 55th Legislature on Thursday, October 15, 2026, Senator Dillon challenged his colleagues to muster the courage to thoroughly examine the national budgets, even if doing so requires significant changes to the spending priorities submitted by the Executive Branch.
The Montserrado County lawmaker argued that the Legislature’s current approach to budget scrutiny does not sufficiently demonstrate its independence in the appropriation process, leaving the Executive Branch with substantial influence over spending priorities while lawmakers bear much of the public criticism when allocations fail to address citizens’ needs.
Dillon stressed that the power of appropriation is one of the Legislature’s most important constitutional responsibilities and should not be treated as a procedural formality.
“We should muster the courage to tear the budget apart and make the rightful appropriations,” Dillon emphasized, calling for a more deliberate, transparent, and comprehensive examination of government spending proposals.
According to the senator, the Legislature risks surrendering its constitutional responsibility when it accepts the Executive Branch’s budget proposal with only minor adjustments before returning it for implementation.
“As we speak, the Executive Branch will hold budget hearings through the Minister of Finance. The Executive Branch is appropriating the budget already,” Dillon said, expressing concern that the Legislature often receives a budget in which spending priorities have effectively been determined before lawmakers begin their own review.
He explained that the Executive Branch prepares the budget and submits it to the Legislature, which should independently assess the proposed allocations, determine national priorities, and make appropriate changes before authorizing public expenditure.
Dillon warned that when lawmakers fail to undertake that responsibility thoroughly, the public may mistakenly believe that the Legislature has independently determined the spending priorities, even when the Executive Branch has already shaped the allocations.
Legislature Must Take Ownership of Budget Decisions
Senator Dillon maintained that the Legislature must accept responsibility for the decisions it makes on the national budget rather than allowing the Executive Branch to dominate the appropriation process while elected representatives face public dissatisfaction over government spending.
He recalled past public controversies surrounding budget allocations, arguing that the failure to communicate clearly how the appropriation process works can leave citizens questioning lawmakers’ decisions and motives.
“The budget comes in a book. The country will open that book,” Dillon said, emphasizing the importance of examining the actual contents of the budget rather than relying solely on speeches, political explanations, or general assurances.
He lamented that lawmakers frequently engage in public discussions about the budget without making the necessary changes to ensure that government spending reflects the priorities of ordinary Liberians.
“I’m bothered because we are all guilty, and no speech can help that,” he said, criticizing what he described as a recurring pattern in which lawmakers speak about the same concerns but ultimately return to the same practices.
For Dillon, the solution lies in a more practical and results-oriented approach to appropriation, one that places public needs, institutional accountability, and measurable outcomes at the center of budget deliberations.
He urged his colleagues to examine every major allocation, question spending proposals that lack sufficient justification, and ensure that appropriated funds produce tangible benefits for citizens across the country.
Calls for Transparency Beyond Budget Speeches
The Montserrado County senator further criticized what he described as an unwillingness to open up the budget for meaningful scrutiny and to adopt different approaches when existing practices fail to produce satisfactory outcomes.
He argued that public officials and lawmakers must be prepared to examine spending proposals in detail, challenge questionable allocations, and make difficult decisions where necessary.
“We refuse to open the budget the way we should open it. And then after that, we refuse to do it differently and better,” Dillon said, underscoring his concern that repeated discussions have not resulted in the level of accountability he believes the process requires.
He maintained that lawmakers should not limit their review to the overall amounts allocated to ministries, agencies, and commissions. Instead, they must investigate the specific programmes and activities being financed and determine whether the proposed expenditure is reasonable and aligned with national development objectives.
According to Dillon, this approach would enable the Legislature to make more informed decisions and strengthen public confidence in the national budget process.
He also stressed that the public needs to understand who makes spending decisions, who authorizes them, and which institutions are responsible for ensuring that public funds are used as intended.