Buenos Aires, December 18 (NA) – Just hours after securing initial approval for the 2026 Budget, the Executive Branch anticipates the possibility of amending the project sent to Congress, though it currently does not have the votes to secure its passage in the Senate. According to Noticias Argentinas agency, the Casa Rosada had been anticipating potential complexities in the debate over the uncomfortable, for the ruling party, Article 75. The defeat of Chapter 11, which garnered only 117 positive votes against 123 negative ones and two abstentions, nullified the restriction on the 'cold zone' regime and the elimination of automatic adjustments for the Universal Child Allowance, Pregnancy Allowance, and Family Allowances, measures sought by the Government. With the adverse outlook, the central idea at the Casa Rosada at the start of this Thursday was to attempt to modify the text in the Senate Chamber, as they believe that the retention of Article 75 'jeopardizes the fiscal surplus.' A key source from the Executive Branch informed NA that the votes to pass the amended project in the Upper Chamber are not secured, so the directive for the head of the La Libertad Avanza bloc, Patricia Bullrich, is to delay its consideration to gain time for negotiation. The menu of options is broad However, the plans are not yet defined. The options are varied: some speak of the possibility of vetoing the spreadsheet designed by the libertarian teams if it is approved as is in the Deputies, an unprecedented move by the ruling party, while other actors predict that the same project has no chance of being approved in the Senate. 'It's impossible to approve a budget with a 6-point deficit,' stated a prominent voice in the libertarian ecosystem. The truth is that some voices at the negotiating table have warned against the rejection of Chapter 11, which was incorporated during yesterday's session, to condition political forces into supporting an entire package of measures without being able to vote for or against them individually. IP This afternoon, there will be cross-conversations that will include Minister of Economy Luis Caputo and the negotiating team composed of Patricia Bullrich; the head of the Chamber of Deputies, Martín Menem; and Minister of the Interior, Diego Santilli, who will meet at the National Congress to determine the next legislative steps. In the corridors of Balcarce 50, they assure they are not surprised by the setback of this morning during the session. 'It's all coldly calculated,' they joke.
