Congress opens session debating Milei's veto of university funding bill

Argentina's lower house Chamber of Deputies will define Wednesday if President Javier Milei's veto of a law allocating more funds to public universities and its staff will hold firm.

To reject the president's veto, the support of two-thirds of the lower house is needed. In that case, the motion would then pass to the Senate, where the same proportion of votes is also required.

If the veto is upheld, the law that establishes – among other things – salary increases for teachers will be invalidated and Congress will not be able to deal with the text again this year.

Milei’s government has announced that it will go to court if Congress rejects the President's veto, which it claims jeopardises fiscal balance, the pillar of its economic policy.

According to Congress, the application of the law, approved by Congress on September 13, represents 0.14 percent of Argentina’s gross domestic product.

The issue has stirred public opinion, which has been mobilised in massive marches in support of state universities, teachers and students. The issue has split the political allies of the government, which lacks a majority in both chambers of Congress and needs support to pass legislation.

Over the past few days, the government has held a series of meetings to gain support. 

On Tuesday night, the Human Capital Ministry announced a 6.8 percent salary increase for university teachers as a last-ditch attempt at conciliation.

The teachers' unions rejected it “as insufficient” given that year-on-year inflation in August was running at 236 percent. 

Milei's administration wants to allocate to universities in 2025 half of the budget that teachers consider necessary to maintain the functioning of higher education institutions.

Dozens of students from public universities are on vigil or have taken over faculties to pressure Congress to reject the president's veto.

“They woke up a sleeping giant,” Ilana Yablonovsky, a 27-year-old literature student, told AFP on Wednesday.

“We tell Milei that we are going to deepen the plan of struggle, this is not the end, it is the beginning, we are going to radicalise the actions and coordinate with all sectors,” added Yablonovsky, a student at the University of Buenos Aires’ (UBA) Faculty of Philosophy and Letters.

On Tuesday the government eliminated a state fund that financed scholarships received by thousands of university students, stoking tempers even further.

Poverty grew 11 points in the first half of the year and now stands at 52.9 percent.

“”Today it is a measly 28,000 pesos a month (around US$27) which is used for transport and photocopies,” said Yablonovsky.

Demonstrators are already gathering outside Congress ahead of the debate, which opened at midday.

– TIMES/AFP