Sri Lanka to Explore Parliamentary Budget Office with US Backing

COLOMBO (News 1st); The United States Embassy in Sri Lanka, in collaboration with the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) and the U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO), is supporting Sri Lanka’s Parliament in enhancing its capacity to independently analyse government spending, economic policies, and proposed legislation.

The initiative, currently underway in Colombo from June 8 to 12, brings together a high-level delegation including HDP Program Manager Meagan Moore and CBO experts Megan Carroll and Christi Hawley Anthony.

The delegation is engaging with nearly 100 Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff, sharing U. S. best practices in providing independent, nonpartisan fiscal analysis for effective budget oversight and public expenditure monitoring.

The week-long technical exchange includes a series of working sessions with Members of Parliament and officials of the Committee on Public Finance, focusing on the design and institutional framework of a proposed Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) in Sri Lanka.

Discussions are also centered on understanding legislators’ information needs and developing a long-term roadmap to strengthen institutional capacity within Parliament.

During the visit, CBO experts are sharing practical tools and insights drawn from decades of experience supporting U.S. lawmakers, with the aim of strengthening Sri Lanka’s ability to scrutinize budgets and public spending more effectively.

As part of continued engagement, the U.S. Embassy has also announced plans to sponsor a delegation of selected Sri Lankan Members of Parliament for a study visit to the United States in September.