Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei’s major economic reform package suffered a setback on Tuesday when it was sent back to a legislative committee for consideration. This came after lawmakers rejected many of its provisions during the article-by-article approval process, following the general approval of the “omnibus” proposal last week.
Despite significant reworking by lawmakers, the bill still included provisions for privatization of state entities, changes to regulations, and measures to enable reductions in state subsidies.
Milei’s ruling Libertad Avanza party, which only holds a small number of seats in Congress, criticized the “treasonous behavior” of lawmakers who opposed the bill in a post on X. The party acknowledged that the bill must now return to committee for further consideration.
Some opposition legislators called for compromise among those supporting the reform package. “We ask the ruling party to have some flexibility. They love to keep losing,” said opposition lawmaker Miguel Pichetto during the legislative session.
(Reporting by Nicolas Misculin; Editing by David Alire Garcia)
