Parliament Staff Members Gain U.S. Congressional Insights

As part of USAID's work with the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) and Timor-Leste's National Parliament, four senior staff members of Timor-Leste's Parliament are participating in special sessions organized by IRI and NDI in Washington, DC.  With support from IRI, USAID's partner in Timor-Leste, two budget analysts from the USAID-established Parliamentary Research Center,  Zelia da Costa and Manuel da Cruz, were in Washington in October for meetings with staff from the Congressional Budget Office, Congressional Research Service, and fiscal committees of the House of Representatives. In December the focus will be on supporting committees, and two Parliamentary committee staff members, Jorge Paiva de Araujo and Mario Amaral, will join other participants from 15 HDP partner countries, providing insights for Timor-Leste on parliamentary support activities around the world.