The government of Javier Milei confident that the year will end with the approval of the year Budget 2026 in the meeting that senate will celebrate this Friday as the accounts maintained on the block have been created Patricia Bullrich they give him More than 40 yes votes among our own and our alliesalthough it faces the challenge of supporting Article 30, which repeals minimum funding laws for education, science and technology, and faces opposition from some factions.
It cost the ruling party more than expected to approve the draft budget in the Chamber of Deputies, where it lost the entire Chapter XI because it included the repeal of university funding and emergency disability laws. For this reason, Bullrich decided to postpone the debate on labor reform – which he also planned to hold this week – and focus all efforts to ensure that Milei has the budget law for the first time.
The goal is shared by the Minister of Economic Affairs, Luis Caputowhat this “achievement” needs to show the IMF and the financial market, especially given the debt maturities in January. To achieve this, the ruling party decided not to insist on a chapter
If it changes even one comma, it will have to return to the House of Commons and its sanction will be delayed with an uncertain outcome. For this reason, Peronism’s attempt to garner votes to reject Article 30 is a latent threat to the government. However, La Libertad Avanza (LLA) has a fairly solid vote base of over 37 – which represents the quorum and majority – to take this fight with a chance of winning.
Budget 2026: How many votes do Javier Milei’s troops count to pass it in the Senate?
The LLA senators spending the holidays in their provinces were given the order to do so We will be back in Buenos Aires on December 25thone day before the meeting. Bullrich understands the importance of the budget law for the government and does not want to take the risk that someone cannot arrive on time for the meeting due to flight problems. It’s easier to travel at Christmas.
He The ruling bloc has 21 senatorsincluding Enzo Fullone from Rio Negro (who must be sworn in at the beginning of the session to replace the resigned Lorena Villaverde) and with Luis Juez, who joined under the umbrella of an Interbloc. In the accounts created by LLA is You add the 10 from the UCR and the three from the PRO.
They are also assured of the support of the blocs with terminal governors: the missionaries Carlos Arce and Sonia Rojas Decut; Flavia Royón from Salta; Julieta Corroza of Neuquén; Edith Terenzi from Chubut; Beatriz Ávila from Tucumán and also Carlos “Camau” Espínola from Corrientes, one of the most stable allies. They add 41 votes to approve the budget as a whole.
They don’t even exclude the support of Sandra Mendozathe other senator for Tucumán – also close to the governor Osvaldo Jaldo– that joined the block Federal conviction. The man from Catamarca is also in this group of Peronist “dissidents” with Kirchnerism Guillermo Andradain line with the governor Raul Jalil, another usual ally of La Rosada.
The deputies of these provinces accompanied the LLA in the semi-sanction of the budget and For this reason, Bullrich’s troops are counting on 40 votes in the Senate – three more than necessary – and there may be even more votes. But the challenge for the governing party will once again be the vote.
The Danger of Voting: What Happens to the Budget Article on Education Funds?
After approval in general, each bill in particular must be voted on. Sometimes it is agreed to do everything in the same coordination. Others vote by article or chapter, as was the case with MPs. The mechanics cannot be determined by Senate President Victoria Villarruel. It is decided by the senators in the same sessionwith a majority.
This will be the litmus test for LLA as the Peronist bank (renamed Popular) is in the chair Jose Mayans next to Juliana di Tullio (Cristina Kirchner’s bishop) wants “Turn over” Article 30, which removes several sensitive points of laws establishing the minimum resources for national education, the science and technology system, professional technical education and the National Defense Fund.
One of the most sensitive issues is the repeal of Article 9 of Law 26.206, which exclusively determines the budget of the national state, the provinces and the city of Buenos Aires Education cannot account for less than 6% of GDP. Mayans and Di Tullio know that this topic is uncomfortable and generating Itching especially in the UCRa party with a historical connection to the banner of education.
Sources from the radical bloc confirmed this iProfessional The Of the ten senators, at least two are inclined to vote against this article: Maximiliano Abad of Buenos Aires and Flavio Fama of Catamarca. The jury, led by Eduardo Vischi (Corrientes), recognizes that Article 30 causes great discomfort in the UCR. For the time being, there is silence in the provincial blocks.
The idea of the ruling party and also of the UCR was that this point of the project would pass without much attention, as had happened with the MPs, but the Peronist tactic was precisely to give it visibility, to install it in the media and to generate a critical mass and fish for votes. The Bank of the Mayas and Di Tullio Part of 21 safe votes and they trust in the rebels of Convicción Federal and Gerardo Zamora from Santiago. This brings them to 28 and would require 37 to reject Article 30.
Trust in the government and Senate: The 2026 budget law as a triumphant end to the year
If Bullrich manages to consolidate the support of the dialogue blocs to support this article and approve the project as it came from the MPs, LLA will have achieved the desired objective For the first time in the two years Milei has been in office, a budget. The ruling party trusts that the Governors also want to have this reference law and to close Congress until February when labor reform will be discussed.
However, if they fail to avoid a rejection of Article 30, the government will face an uncertain outlook. Near the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Martin MenemThey say they have everything ready In the event that the budget comes back amended, it will be discussed on December 29th or 30th. In the Casa Rosada they don’t even want to think about it and stick to the fact that radicals and wild provincials in the Chambers of Deputies have already voted for this article without any fuss.
And this second hypothetical scenario is the most dangerous for the ruling party. In addition to the logistical difficulties of meeting on these dates, the The LLA’s relations with its allies in the Chambers of Deputies were damaged after the last session and the healing is still not complete. Especially in PRO. Will there be a new quorum on December 30th due to a change in plans that everyone will surely attribute to the “inadequacy” of the ruling party?
This is a question that will ring loudly when the senate cannot pass this Budget 2026 without further changes. But right now the legislative force of Javier Milei He does the math and is confident he has the votes for general approval. The special thing is a fight that he wants to win. The annual financial statements are the only “success” that the governing party can aspire to at this point in time.
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