Argentine senators passed a bill to double their monthly salary in a bill which originally covered ambassador appointments and international treaties on Thursday.
An Increase in Pay:
The ruling party, the Libertarian Party, did not vote in favor of the bill, with the bill being proposed following recent discussions once the assembly learned of the pay increase afforded to the Spokesman for the Presidency turned Secretary of State, Manuel Adorni, who saw a $200,000 increase to pay, according to La Nacion.
“I don’t think it’s right for the spokesperson to earn three times more than a senator, or for the named Twitter users to earn more than a senator.” Martín Lousteau, a Senator for the Radical Civic Union, stated after learning of the pay increase.
“Yesterday, the Senate learned what the spokesperson earns when promoted, and it’s double what a senator earns. That sparked my concern. It was discussed in Labor because it was just known when they were gathered,” a senator who signed the bill told La Nacion.
After the assembly learned this news, they began their plan to increase the pay of senators during a Parliamentary Labor meeting, a meeting where representatives from different political parties discuss and coordinate legislative matters, with the motion passing later in the day, increasing their monthly salary from $1.7 million pesos to $4.1 million, resulting in a gross yearly salary of $7 million, which far exceeds the pay of reigning President Javier Milei and is set to take effect in July.
The President and Vice President themselves make $4 million pesos and $3.5 million, respectively.
The bill was passed in minutes, with Senators being handed the bill at 1:42 PM before it was passed by a show of hands at 1:44, with 47 of 72 senators voting in favor. The bill officially sought to secure the loyalty of lawmakers, stating that “otherwise, lawmakers may be prevented from dedicating [themselves] exclusively or mainly to their public duties.”
Action Against the Increase:
Following the pay increase, the right-wing coalition, La Libertad Avanza, which is led by President Milei, proposed a separate bill in order to cut this pay increase on Friday, following concerns expressed by Milei.
“The bloc of La Libertad Avanza senators will present a legislative project to nullify the salary increase voted on yesterday,” said one La Libertad senator from Jujuy. “The La Libertad Avanza bloc will continue to work to promote the deep reforms that our country needs.”
La Libertad was joined by fellow right-wing party, Republican Proposal (PRO), which stated that they would begin the process of reversing the salary increase.
“Our country is going through difficult times and requires a responsible and exemplary attitude from us,” PRO stated before claiming that the original vote did not have sufficient discussion before the party called on politicians to be “the first to tighten their belts and relinquish their own benefits” in order to balance Argentina’s budget.
President Milei spoke out against the passing of the bill, blasting those who passed the controversial bill in a post on X.
“This is how the caste moves,” the president stated before adding that the only senators who opposed the bill were members of the Libertarian Party. While only members of the Libertarian Party voted against the bill, a number of right-wing senators belonging to PRO had abstained.
Analysis:
The increase in pay is directly contrary to Javier Milei’s “Chainsaw Plan,” which seeks to cut what the President deems unnecessary government spending in order to address Argentina’s dire economic situation, which Milei claims to be the fault of a “political caste.”
Despite La Libertad Avanza holding the presidency, the coalition, along with their allies, maintains a minority in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, holding a mere 13 of the 72 seats in the Senate and 76 of the 257 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
Meanwhile, the opposition holds a majority in both institutions, with 33 seats in the Senate and 104 in the Chamber of Deputies. A large portion of Congress is in the hands of various independent parties, with 26 senators and 75 deputies belonging to independent parties. These parties will play a pivotal role in steering Argentina’s government in the correct direction, as neither major coalition can afford the loss of votes.
