In a television interview, Caputo stated that there is “nothing illegal and much less immoral” in government officials taking out these loans, and even affirmed that he himself recommends taking advantage of this financing line. That is, while the government tries to present the loans as something normal and moral, the economic front no longer offers the same political cushion as months ago. Thus, Caputo's defense sought to install a simple idea: there is no privilege, no immorality, and no reason to give in to opposition or media pressure. The issue, above all, lies in the political cost of explaining to an exhausted society that, in the midst of economic tension, these multi-million dollar loans are nothing extraordinary. And that is why the government is also forced to shield it time and again, even as the cost in image continues to accumulate. The problem for the ruling party is that all this is happening while the economy begins to show less comfortable signals on the social front. Caputo admitted that March inflation could be somewhat above February's, driven by the rise in fuel prices associated with the war in the Middle East and the seasonal impact of education. With this data, Caputo tried to turn down the volume of the scandal and present the controversy as an opposition political operation rather than an ethical problem within the ruling coalition. He also emphasized that the rates, terms, and amounts would be the same for everyone, and that it is logical that many officials turn to the state bank because that is where they receive their salaries. However, the problem does not disappear just because the minister downplays it. Because in an administration that built much of its identity on rejecting the “caste” and the benefits of power, the discussion is no longer just about the formal legality of a mortgage loan. The public debate itself intensified because since 2024 there is a specific line for public sector employees with more favorable conditions, including a higher percentage of financing on the value of the property. This opened a significant discussion: whether political officials, with temporary positions and high public exposure, should or should not be equated to career public employees when receiving such benefits. The signal was clear: the Javier Milei administration is not willing to back down, at least for now, neither from the loan scandal nor from the political wear that already surrounds the head of the Cabinet. The central argument of the head of the Ministry of Economy was that the benefits do not imply privileges, but a possibility open to any customer who meets the corresponding credit analysis. But the magnitude of the noise shows that the issue is far from being closed. Buenos Aires - April 6, 2026 - Total News Agency - TNA - Minister of Economy Luis Caputo chose a double political defense front this Sunday: on the one hand, he unequivocally justified that officials and ruling coalition lawmakers have accessed multi-million dollar mortgage loans from the Nation Bank; on the other, he openly backed Manuel Adorni, who is now surrounded by an investigation into alleged illicit enrichment. On this point, the request for information promoted by deputy Esteban Paulón was based, who demands details on possible preferential conditions, risk assessments, and criteria used to approve loans of several hundred million pesos to figures of the ruling coalition. Among the names that came under the microscope are Federico Furiasse, current Secretary of Finance, with a loan of over 367 million pesos, and Felipe Núñez, director of BICE and advisor to the economic team, with a loan close to 373 million. To them are added other libertarian officials and lawmakers who were exposed when public records from the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic (BCRA) were cross-referenced. This defense is not casual: in the heart of libertarian power, they understand that a fall of Adorni would be read not just as the departure of an official questioned, but as a crack in the political device closest to the Milei brothers. The situation became even more uncomfortable for the government after the departure of Leandro Massaccesi, former head of Sandra Pettovello's cabinet, a departure that showed that not everyone in the ruling coalition is willing to absorb the political cost of the issue with the same tranquility. In parallel, Caputo also sought to close ranks behind Adorni, a figure whose continuity already generates noise inside and outside the Casa Rosada. According to his explanation, the Nation Bank has already granted more than 27,000 mortgage loans, and cases linked to officials represent less than 0.2% of the total. That is why every gesture of support counts. To this is added another data that the minister himself recognized: since the beginning of the administration, some 270,000 formal jobs have been lost, with a negative effect on revenue collection. “I think Adorni is great,” said the minister, in line with the presidential strategy to support him while the Justice system advances on his trips, properties, and patrimonial movements. Private consultants surveyed in recent days placed their projections between 2.7% and 3.2%, with which the CPI would again move in a zone that bothers the narrative of sustained deceleration.
