The views were completely opposite, with no gray areas. Officials and legislators aligned with Milei loudly celebrated the Budget initiative. La Libertad Avanza supported the zero deficit and the reaffirmation that public spending will not skyrocket, in addition to inflation projections.
The opposition blocs, on the other hand, aimed their guns at the State’s austerity measures, budget cuts in key areas such as Health and Education. At the same time, they had some clashes with Milei himself, who responded to the questions in his speech in Congress.
Euphoria in the Government over the 2025 Budget
The first to accompany the President were the members of the Cabinet. In this regard, the head of the ministers, Guillermo Francosreferred to the National Budget as “an essential tool for managing the State’s expenses and fiscal resources and carries with it the greatest commitment of this management: zero deficit and fiscal balance are non-negotiable.”.
The Minister of Security Patricia Bullrich He said: “The National Budget rule from now on is a very simple rule. If someone wants to increase an expense, they have to say which expense they are going to decrease; in this way, we will always have a zero deficit and we will also have a surplus. Having a surplus lowers inflation, increases productivity, increases investment and the country progresses.”
Diana Mondino said: “A historic moment, a budget without deficit is presented in the Argentine Congress. It is not a minor thing to do so by speaking directly to the politicians so that they understand that this is not negotiable. The road ahead will be difficult, full support and much strength to President Milei“, said the chancellor.
The Minister of Defense Luis Petri He stressed the importance of approving a budget without a fiscal deficit, aligning himself with the president’s statements. “Public spending is the cancer of the Argentine Republic, and it is essential that Congress approve a balanced budget so that Argentines can live without inflation and with a sustainable life plan,” he said.
Reactions from legislators from the ruling party and those in favor of dialogue
The PRO deputy Maria Eugenia Vidal He reaffirmed his party’s commitment to a zero deficit, which he considered “the only way for Argentina to grow.”
Jose Luis Esperta deputy from Libertad Avanza, expressed that by 2025 “we will have an increase in income that will allow us to improve pensions, social subsidies and teachers’ salaries, but keeping spending constant in real terms” stressing that the priority will be to achieve zero deficit without increasing taxes.
Rodrigo De Loredoa UCR deputy, defended the budget policy, since any spending proposal must be supported by a budget forecast. “We never point out a State expenditure that does not have a budget forecast,” he said.
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The senator from La Libertad Advances, Ezequiel Atauche He said: “We will be out of the currency controls very soon.” Asked about a possible inflation rate of less than 2% per month in January, he said it would be “imprudent” to anticipate exact figures, but stressed that the priority is to continue reducing it.
Christian Ritondoa PRO deputy, expressed his optimism about the possibility of Argentina achieving fiscal balance and reducing inflation to 20 points, following the guidelines of economic responsibility set out by the president. “If we spend only the resources we have and do not waste, we can achieve a balanced Argentina,” he said.
Opposition criticises state austerity, cuts in health and education, and the economic plan
The opposition rained down harsh criticism on the 2025 Budget project that Milei presented to Congress. One of the main spokespersons was the national deputy of Unión por la Patria (UP) German Martinez“The first thing you see is that there is a disconnect between the supposed growth of the economy next year and the growth of imports,” he said on Monday in statements to Radio 10. “If it weren’t for his supporters, he wouldn’t have aroused any support,” he added.
The deputy of Union for the Homeland, Cecilia Moreaumade a “summary” of what the event in Congress was like for those who could not “see the show,” and assured: “Nothing new.” “He was accompanied by Bullrich, Sturzenegger and all those who made a mess of the country in 2001. The budget that he “presented” (and whose details were conspicuous by their absence) was designed by Caputo, the person most responsible for the debt that Macri left behind after asking the IMF for 45 billion. He did not name the retirees, the workers, the public universities. He announced that he will close Congress if laws are passed that he does not like,” he listed.
The PST deputy, Nicholas del Cañomeanwhile, said: “Milei’s zero deficit is at the cost of a brutal adjustment against public education, retirees, health and the working people as a whole. All to pay the fraudulent debt with the IMF and private speculators.”
Among the politicians, the national deputy of Union for the Homeland Leandro Santoro He was blunt in his X account: “Budget 2025. He did not give a single piece of data. The only thing, very little rating.”
The senator Juliana Di Tullio He expressed himself along the same lines when he said: “What the president means is that he will close the National Congress if the laws he likes are not voted on.. The curious thing is that he is ‘presenting’ a bill in that Congress that he wants to close down.”
“Javier Milei has so much self-esteem that, after 9 months of a terrible government, he tries to give a lesson on what it means to govern… MA-MI-TA!”, said the mayor of Quilmes, Mayra Mendoza.
Source: Ambito
