A U.S. delegation is in Colombo this week to help strengthen Sri Lanka’s parliamentary capacity for independent budget analysis.
As part of a week‑long technical assistance exchange, House Democracy Partnership (HDP) Program Manager Meagan Moore and Congressional Budget Office (CBO) experts Megan Carroll and Christi Hawley Anthony are engaging with nearly 100 Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff, sharing U.S. best practices in nonpartisan oversight of government spending and public policy.
The engagement, from June 8–12, includes working sessions with Members of Parliament and staff of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) focused on the design and structure of a Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), identifying legislators’ information needs, and developing a roadmap for long-term institutional capacity.
According to the US Embassy in Colombo, in the United States, Congress relies on the CBO, an independent and nonpartisan institution, to provide objective analysis of budgetary and economic issues. Similar institutions support legislatures around the world by helping lawmakers assess the costs, economic impacts, and long-term fiscal implications of proposed policies and legislation.
As part of efforts to strengthen parliamentary oversight and evidence-based policymaking, the Parliament of Sri Lanka is exploring the establishment of a PBO to provide Members of Parliament and parliamentary committees with comparable analytical support.
During the visit, CBO experts are sharing practical tools and lessons learned from the U.S. Congress to help strengthen Sri Lanka’s parliamentary oversight of budgets and public spending. The exchange highlights American expertise in fiscal analysis and supports U.S. efforts to promote stable, transparent, and prosperous partners across the Indo-Pacific—creating stronger conditions for trade, investment, and economic growth.
To complement this program, in September, the US Embassy in Sri Lanka will sponsor an exchange program for a select group of Members of Parliament to learn firsthand about these critical elements of governance in the United States. (Newswire)
