Those who were present at the Cabinet meeting this Thursday say that
Javier Milei
was seen especially
angry with the governors, "without party distinction,"
in a clarification that contemplates that he not only targeted those who acceded to their positions through Unión por the Homeland and Kirchnerism, but also to those of Together for Change.
The President closely followed the negotiations that the ruling party held with the legislators this Wednesday, after the signing of the opinion for the "omnibus law", and the media dispute against the provincial leaders led by the Minister of Economy, Luis "Toto" Caputo , whom he supported: "
I'm going to leave them penniless, I'm going to melt them all
," he launched, bluntly before the watchful eye of his ministers, after it emerged that the vote count in the Chamber of Deputies shows a complex scenario for the ruling party.
Strictly speaking, more than a support, it was the continuity of a strategy that Milei and Caputo have been deploying in recent weeks to persuade the governors, who need fresh funds to cover the fiscal redundancy of their provinces, to convince the deputies and senators to vote on the project "Bases for the freedom of Argentines" promoted by the Government.
The first chapter of the plan was the notice from the Government that it would not move forward with the reversal of the changes in Profits ordered by Sergio Massa during his time as Minister of Economy, within the framework of the
"small money plan"
promoted during the campaign. electoral;
and it was accentuated in recent days with
the warning from the head of state that he will propose a "zero transfers" scheme to the provinces.
There are tensions with the governors of Together for Change.
And this Wednesday Caputo insisted with a public challenge to the governors: he said that he gathered his troops "to outline all the provincial items that will be cut immediately if any of the economic articles are rejected."
"It is not a threat, it is confirmation that we are going to comply with the mandate that the majority of Argentines have given us to balance the fiscal accounts to end decades of inflation and economic scourge," he clarified.
Opposition leaders, such as
deputy Miguel Pichetto, president of the We Make Federal Coalition bloc
, responded harshly: "You have to stop putting pressure on the governors and try to seek agreements with the provincial governments instead of threatening them," he responded. .
And he recalled that
he "did not have the courage"
to appear in Congress to defend the project.
In the Cabinet, Caputo joined the line drawn by Milei and explained to his peers: "If this law does not come to fruition, public spending will continue to be adjusted in all the alternative ways available, including the items that are assigned to the provinces".
By this he refers to all disbursements outside the co-participable amount: the National Treasury Contributions (ATN), the works, the programs for different areas agreed with each governor and other discretionary items, which in 2023 oscillated in total around the 2 billion pesos.
Milei completed the concept: "We are going to socialize the cost of the law. The provinces will be the most affected if this law is not approved."
In parallel, in a suggestive measure, the Government announced, through presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni, that
it will promote "immediately" the creation of "a Prosecutor's Office to investigate corruption of public officials",
especially in the cases of " illicit enrichment and unjustified increases in assets.” “We are going to recover all the assets that are the product of crime,” said the spokesperson.
In the Casa Rosada, in case there were any doubts about the intention, they clarified that they will not only investigate national officials but "also governors, provincial officials and the Legislative Branch."