Tens of thousands of demonstrators on the streets of Buenos Aires on Wednesday celebrated the lower house’s rejection of Javier Milei’s vetoes of bills to boost funding for public universities and Argentina’s main paediatric hospital.
Though the decision to overturn the legislation is a setback for the under-pressure President, the measures must still be ratified by the Senate.
The bills, vetoed by Milei earlier this month, address two sectors that have been hit hard by the government’s “chainsaw” spending cuts.
One provides for university budgets to be updated in line with inflation dating back to 2023 and for improved pay for teachers and non-teaching staff. The second declares a paediatric health emergency, allocating funds primarily to the prestigious Garrahan Children’s Hospital in Buenos Aires.
In the Chamber of Deputies, where Milei lacks a majority, deputies voted down both vetoes. For the laws to take effect, the opposition must now secure a two-thirds majority in the Senate.
“We have to defend students, teaching staff and the non-teaching staff who have lost more than 30 percent of their purchasing power due to the absolutely savage chainsaw they have been wielding throughout this one year and eight months of government,” said Germán Martínez, leader of the Peronist opposition caucus, during debate.
News of the rejections were greeted with euphoria by one of the largest crowds in recent months, gathered in front of Congress. Protesters jumped and embraced, chanting “the homeland is not for sale” and condemning Milei’s government.
Health and education are among the sectors most severely hit by the La Libertad Avanza leader’s sweeping austerity drive. The President defends his vetoes on the grounds that the laws jeopardise his desire for a balanced budget – the cornerstone of government policy.
“We are now proposing a remedy that will be worse than the disease,” said ruling party deputy Santiago Santurio. “The money that comes in one pocket will go out the other through more spending, broken taxes and mounting debts.”
Carrying banners with slogans such as “no to the veto” and “save the Garrahan,” thousands of students, professors, picketers and trade union members followed the debate from the Plaza del Congreso, watched on by security forces.
“Education and health are at risk. It is essential that we maintain access to the quality education Argentina provides. We cannot allow them to strip away what we achieved through so much struggle throughout history,” said Zoe Gómez, 23, a recent graduate in psychopedagogy from the National University of San Martín.
Milei earlier this week submitted a draft 2026 budget that includes higher allocations for health and education. University rectors, however, said in a joint statement that the plan “ratifies and deepens the adjustment” as it fails to compensate for lost revenue from recent years.
The President, who insisted in his message that “the worst is over,” continues to govern with Argentina’s 2023 Budget despite soaring inflation of 211 percent that year, 118 percent in 2024 and nearly 20 percent so far this year as of August 2025.
Milei is enduring his most difficult moment since taking office in December 2023. Earlier this month, he suffered a heavy electoral defeat in a regional vote in Buenos Aires Province. His coalition lost by 14 points to the opposition Peronist force, Fuerza Patria.
Among those present at the demonstration was Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof, seen by some as a potential 2027 opposition presidential candidate as he gains ground in the absence of former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner – who is serving a lengthy corruption sentence under house arrest.
Kicillof hailed the decision to reject the vetoes. “The people are standing tall and in massive numbers have once again told Milei that universities are not for sale, hospitals will not be defunded and rights are not negotiable,” he wrote on X.
Fellow opposition leaders also celebrated the news. Sergio Massa, leader of the Frente Renovador party, took to social media to highlight "the strength of the statement.
“The strength of the statement from Congress and the streets is crystal-clear: we must defend public, free, inclusive and excellent universities and a Garrahan Hospital with the capacity to care for boys and girls from all over the country,” said Sergio Massa, leader of the Frente Renovador.
Milei-critical Senator Martín Lousteau (Unión Cívica Radical) stated that today proved that "education and public health are stronger than any veto."
"It has been proven that joining forces against the cruelty of the government is worthwhile, that mobilisation in the streets and respect for the will of the people at the polls transforms reality in favour of Argentines. I am casting my vote in the Senate in advance: we will continue to defend them," he said on social media.
Argentina faces key nationwide midterm elections on October 26. Earlier this month, Congress overturned a presidential veto for the first time, confirming a law granting more funds for people with disabilities – an area already clouded by developing corruption allegations that potentially implicate the President’s sister, Karina Milei.
– TIMES/AFP/NA
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