President George Manneh Weah has requested a twenty-two-day delay in the submission of the country's national budget to the national legislature.

The new Public Financial Management (PFM) Law, enacted in 2021, changed the fiscal year from January 1 to December 30 (from July 1 to June 30) and mandated that the President of the Republic of Liberia submit the proposed Budget and accompanying documents to the Legislature no later than two months before the start of the Fiscal Year, requiring the Legislature to be in Session.

This provision requires two months prior to the start of the fiscal year. This means that the Executive Branch is already behind the Public Financial Act's deadline.

President Weah guaranteed lawmakers in his communication that, despite the request for a delay, the budget will be prepared and ready for implementation on January 1, 2023, as stated in the new fiscal policy of the Public financial management law.

The President explained his reasons for the delay, stating that the Liberian government must complete discussions on its next monitoring and fiscal policy course, which are primarily aimed at achieving microeconomic stability. As a result, in response to recent discussions at the World Bank annual meeting, an IMF fifth review mission under the government of Liberia's extended credit facility program is in Monrovia to complete its assessment of our microeconomic development and performance, as well as our fiscal policy outcomes and projections for the upcoming fiscal year.

According to the President's communication, "under the ECF program negotiation, by ensuring adequate funding for the 2023 general and presidential elections, addressing an extra budgeting pressure to subsidize the country's current rice situation, and funding government institutions in order to remain operational without causing disruption during the elections."

Senator Abraham Darius Dillon (LP-Montserrado County) rejected the President's Communication in a motion, arguing that the justification for the deal is weak and that any attempt to grant such a request will give the legislature limited time to scrutinize the budget before its passage.

The discourse became heated, prompting the motion to be seized by Presiding Officer Senator Saah Joseph (CDC-Montserrado County). The motion, however, was defeated, and a new one was filed, allowing the Senate to accept the request.

In 2021, the legislature passed a bill titled "An Act to Amend Section 1 of an Act Fixing Day for the Annual Adjournment of the Legislature of the Republic of Liberia" and to establish "An Act Setting the Calendar of Adjournment for the Legislature" in lieu thereof.

The proposed bill calls for three adjournment and recess periods (also known as constituency visits/breaks).