MONROVIA, Nov. 19 -- Senator Amara Konneh's renewed scrutiny of the proposed National Budget for Fiscal Year 2026 has intensified national debate over Liberia's fiscal priorities, as a growing number of analysts, civil society groups, and lawmakers express concern that the government's spending plan contradicts its stated development agenda.

The senator's assessment, released in Monrovia, coincides with independent budget reviews showing that two security agencies - the National Security Agency and the Executive Protective Service - are together poised to receive more than twice the combined allocation of the country's three leading referral hospitals and substantially more than the amount allotted for preparations toward the establishme...