PRO governors insisted with claims to the Nation and advanced in the fine print of the Budget

Public works, pension funds and owed funds. Five governors of Together for Change (JxC) brought this Thursday before Javier Milei a menu of claims in the framework of the negotiations for the Budget 2025. At a lunch that took place at the Casa Rosada, The President sought to build bridges with the yellow leaders to shore up support for the bill’s treatment in Congress.

Willing to take the lead in the negotiations, Milei received the PRO leaders and allies that make up the JxC league in the Eva Perón room. It is about Ignacio Torres (Chubut), Rogelio Frigerio (Entre Ríos), Marcelo Orrego (Saint John), Claudio Poggi (Saint Louis) and Jorge Macri (CABA). The radicals were left out of this first group. Alfredo Cornejo (Mendoza), Maximiliano Pullaro (Santa Fe), Gustavo Valdes (Currents), Leandro Zdero (Chaco) and Carlos Sadir (Jujuy), who would be summoned as soon as possible.

It was the second hand in hand that the President had this week with provincial leaders, since on Monday he had shared a barbecue in Olivos with wayward Peronists and provincialists. On both occasions, he was accompanied by the Chief of Staff, Guillermo Francos, the secretary of the interior, Lisandro Catalán, and the secretary of the Presidency, Karina Milei.

“Positive” meeting of PRO governors with Javier Milei

In response to the query of Scopefrom the districts they highlighted that it was a “good meeting.” However, they highlighted that beyond the positive tone, the governors brought to the presidential ears a series of pending claims that hit the provincial administrations. Among themthe financing of the non-transferred retirement funds, the compensation payments of the 2017 Fiscal Consensus and the payment of the public works debt transferred to the provinces.

These demands are recurrent at the summits of chiefs of different political groups, who repeat as a mantra the need for a “greater federalism”while emphasizing that the provinces have already made the adjustment and that there is no room for more chainsaws. At the same time, the yellow leaders considered Milei’s openness to sit down and negotiate himself and not delegate that task to his officials, as was happening until not long ago.

“Everything was very enjoyable, it went very well. It is the first time that we were able to speak in a small group with the President,” highlighted a source who was in the Casa Rosada. At the same time, it was indicated that, on this occasion, “It was important to listen.” For his part, Milei referred to the direction of the economy and spoke about topics such as news of investments, trade and the reduction of Country Risk, in addition to the central aspect of the day: the 2025 Budget.

A curious fact – unthinkable just months ago – was that the libertarian economist valued the strategic relationship with China. At the same time, the parties agreed on “the historic opportunity to generate greater investments and increase trade between the provinces and Argentina with the world.”

In the prelude to the meeting, Franks had anticipated that it would be a “very important meeting.” “The position of the Government and that of the President is to listen to them, explain the economic situation of the country at the moment, the reason for the 2025 Budget and analyze the future. It is nothing more than that: “The President wants to contact the governors to fundamentally analyze the impact of the Bases law and the RIGI, because there are many investment commitments from various companies,” he explained to the accredited press.

Javier Milei takes charge of the negotiations with the governors

In recent weeks, Milei rehearsed a shift in his intramural diplomacy, taking charge of the negotiations for the Budget 2025. The first message was the roast for the 87 “hero” deputies who protected the veto of the retirement reform. Then, he replicated the modality last Monday, with a treat for the Peronist governors Osvaldo Jaldo (Tucumán) and Raul Jalil (Catamarca) and the provincialists Gustavo Saenz (Jump) and Hugo Passalacqua (Misiones), whom he received in Olivos as a nod for having been key in the shipwreck of the University Financing law.

Although the northern leaders highlighted the atmosphere of camaraderie in which the evening took place, lor it is true that they returned empty-handed, since the libertarian insisted that he will not negotiate the zero deficit. Along the way, there were pending claims due to the paralysis of public works and cuts in funds and transfers to district coffers, among others.

JAVIER MILEI WITH GOVERNORS.jpeg

Javier Milei in Olivos, along with provincialist governors and wayward Peronists.

Presidency

The President’s move affected the internal situation for the future of the Justicialista Party (PJ). Until the end of last year, lThe four leaders who shared the dinner were members of the Peronist league. Currently, only Khalil moves within the orbit of Union for the Homeland (UP)although with explicit differences. Jaldo broke with the bloc in the Chamber of Deputies and his three legislators formed in the Independencia space, while the seats that report to Sáenz and Passalacqua are in Federal Innovation, key sector to mediate between the ruling party and the opposition.

In a mirror, the call to the leaders of the PRO and related parties could well be read as a message to Mauricio Macrione more chapter in the game of encounters and disagreements that the yellow leader and the libertarian management play out daily.

Beyond the differences, in dialogue spaces the idea of ​​accompanying the Budget 2025. “The President deserves to have a road map,” leaders from different teams repeat. It is worth remembering that this year the 2023 Budget was in effect, prepared in 2022, since Milei chose to extend it last year. With this spirit as our goal, one of the main demands is that the project includes public works transferred to provincial orbits.