Argentina
The 2027 Budget Rekindled the Disability Dispute in the Lower House
The bill sent by the Executive Branch added changes to fees, benefits and pensions, while La Libertad Avanza says it is working on an alternative to the emergency measure. In the parliamentary debate, the opposition and allied blocs highlighted tensions within the ruling coalition.
The disability debate in the Chamber of Deputies added a new flashpoint after the 2027 Budget was introduced. According to C5N and Crónica, the Executive Branch text includes changes to fees, benefits and pensions that drew criticism amid the debate over extending the emergency measure.
Among the changes noted, the bill proposes eliminating the automatic update of the fees received by providers and ending the universal values of the fee schedule, so that each agency or obligated entity can set its own amounts. Crónica added that this would imply eliminating the National Disability Fee Schedule and deregulating fees.
In addition, the Budget sets the Non-Contributory Disability Pension for work-related incapacity at 70% of the minimum benefit and establishes new incompatibilities for those with formal employment or registered as monotributo taxpayers or self-employed workers, according to C5N. Crónica also noted that the initiative changes the definition of incapacity for access to non-contributory pensions.
At the committee plenary session, the clash exposed the distance between Casa Rosada and the La Libertad Avanza bloc, which says it is drafting a “superior” bill to the emergency measure. According to C5N, Esteban Paulón questioned that lack of coordination and warned that the Budget’s content runs counter to that promise.
From the ruling coalition, Laura Rodríguez Machado acknowledged that the Budget has entered the debate and left open the possibility of changes during the legislative process. Still according to C5N, she said the final content will be subject to negotiations among the blocs.
The tension is also affecting the ruling coalition’s relationship with the PRO and the UCR, which have been calling for a permanent response for the sector and payment of outstanding compensation to providers, C5N reported.
In Unión por la Patria, meanwhile, criticism prevailed over the idea of an alternative bill that has not yet been presented. C5N reported that Sabrina Selva defended the need to maintain the emergency measure and that Juan Marino called, at a minimum, for approving the extension and rejecting the disability chapter of the Budget.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
