Argentina's Senate will convene this Friday to approve the 2026 Budget, with secured support for general approval but resistance to Article 30, which eliminates funding targets for education and science. The ruling party aims to pass it unchanged after lower house approval, while negotiating with allies to protect the controversial provisions. Javier Milei's government views this law as essential for its fiscal roadmap and signals to international markets.
Argentina's Senate has called an extraordinary session for this Friday, December 26, 2025, starting at noon, primarily to pass the 2026 Budget. This law, central to Javier Milei's government, received general approval in the Chamber of Deputies without major changes, and the ruling La Libertad Avanza (LLA) party now seeks to replicate that outcome in the upper house to prevent the bill from returning to the lower chamber.
Tension focuses on Article 30, which repeals legal funding commitments: it eliminates the 6% GDP target for education set by the National Education Law, the progressive increase to 1% of GDP for science and technology by 2032 under the National System of Science, Technology and Innovation Financing Law, and the 0.2% allocation of current education spending for technical-professional training. These changes would tie funding for national universities, Conicet, and technical schools solely to annual executive decisions, without legal obligations.
While LLA has 21 senators of its own and allies, adding support from radicals, PRO, and provincial blocs to exceed the 37 votes needed, there are internal resistances. Four of five Convicción Federal senators will vote yes on the general approval but reject Article 30, as will radicals like Maximiliano Abad, Flavio Fama, and Daniel Kroneberger. The ruling party, led by figures like Patricia Bullrich, is negotiating against the clock and sending key officials to the Senate to secure protection for the provisions.
The Budget projects 5% GDP growth, 10.1% annual inflation, and an official dollar at $1,423 by December 2026, figures seen as optimistic. Its passage would enable financing operations and debt restructuring, valued by Minister Luis Caputo ahead of external maturities. If modifications occur, President Milei plans to extend extraordinary sessions into the first week of January. The session will also address the Fiscal Innocence initiative for informal dollar amnesty, but the focus remains on the Budget as a political signal to the IMF and markets.
