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Trump insider key in brokering Libya budget deal

14 April 2026

Commentary
Wil Crisp
Oil & gas reporter

Massad Boulos, the father-in-law of Donald Trump’s youngest daughter and an adviser to the US president, is being credited by many Libyans as being instrumental in brokering the country’s recent budget agreement.

The Central Bank of Libya confirmed on 11 April that the country’s rival legislative bodies had approved a unified state budget for the first time in more than 13 years.

The budget is valued at LD190bn ($29.95bn), with LD12bn ($1.9bn) allocated to the country’s National Oil Corporation (NOC), and LD40bn ($6.3bn) allocated for “development projects”.

After the Central Bank’s announcement, Boulos posted on social media, stating that he had called the Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, to congratulate him on the deal.

In his social media post, the Lebanese-American businessman said that during the call, they discussed “the vital role of the National Oil Corporation in maintaining and expanding oil and gas production”.

Boulos was appointed as the US president’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs in January last year and first travelled to Libya in July the same year, when he met with leaders from both of the country’s rival legislatures.

Since his first trip, he has ramped up US diplomatic activity in the country and held meetings in Tripoli and Benghazi during January of this year.

In February, speaking at a UN Security Council session on Libya, he said that the US was ‘‘working on concrete steps for economic and military integration by bringing together senior officials from eastern and western Libya”.

During the same session, which took place less than two months ago, the head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Hanna Tetteh, said: ‘‘Regrettably, there has been no meaningful progress between the House of Representatives (HoR) and the High Council of State (HCS) in completing the first two steps of the roadmap, despite UNSMIL’s efforts’’.

Many Libyans credit Boulos’ ability to secure compromises from both of Libya’s legislatures to his decision to deviate from the UN roadmap, which focuses on moving towards a new round of elections to create a unified government.

One source said: “The priority of the US in Libya isn’t holding elections; it’s doing commercial deals that the US can benefit from – especially in the oil sector.

“The timing of this latest budget deal isn’t accidental. Right now, the US is desperate to bring new oil and gas production online in order to help lower global oil prices.

“Forging a deal between the HoR and the HCS is a great way of bringing large volumes of crude onto the market in a relatively short timeframe.”

Donald Trump is coming under increasing pressure domestically due to high oil prices after partnering with Israel in his war against Iran, which started on 28 February.

As a result of the conflict, global markets are losing 11 million barrels a day (b/d) of oil supply due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

On top of this, 20% of the world’s LNG production cannot be shipped.

The energy crunch has caused prices to spike and sent countries that are dependent on imported oil and gas scrambling to secure new supplies.

Libya has Africa’s largest oil reserves and has the potential to produce much more than its current 1.43 million barrels a day.

One of the central reasons NOC has struggled to bring new production online over recent years has been the ongoing political gridlock over the country’s budget.

Now, many Libyans are expecting hundreds of projects across all sectors to start moving forward in the country.

The budget approval has sparked a surge of optimism about potential development and economic growth, but the country’s political and security situation remains fragile.

It remains to be seen whether the pragmatic dealmaking of Boulos will lead to long-term stability.

 

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Wil Crisp

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