Milei’s maneuvers could not prevent the rejection of his DNU in the House of Representatives

This Wednesday, with Last minute calls and pressures by the ruling party and governors, the special session of the Chamber of Deputies called to reject the DNU 656/2024 of funds reserved for the State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE) finally got a quorum and voted against with 156 votes.

Those who voted to reject it were Union for the Homelandthe entirety of the Left Frontmuch of Federal Meeting and the UCRthe Civic Coalitionand even a sector of the PRO.

Among the negatives were 52 of Freedom Advancespart of the PRO and former Tucuman deputies Union for the Homeland. There were 6 abstentions among Federal Innovation and others from the yellow party.

The text voted on was simple: “Reject, in accordance with Law 26,122, Executive Branch Decree 656 dated July 19, 2024”. According to the law that regulates the decrees, once the deadline for them to be issued by the bicameral Legislative Procedure has passed, the DNU can be accepted or rejected in the chamber. That was what the Chamber of Deputies did this Wednesday. But the DNU can continue to govern until the Senate do not vote against as well.

For this reason, to this day, the law continues to govern DNU 70/2023 from the beginning of the mandate of Javier Miley. Although it was rejected by the Senate, in the House of Representatives the blocks of Federal Meetingthe UCR o to Civic Coalition.

How good that the infamous DNU on funding for the SIDE has been overturned!
It’s a shame that these majorities are not willing to overturn Decree 70/23, which is harming thousands of people, isn’t it?

— Myriam Bregman (@myriambregman) August 21, 2024

Freedom Advances He unsuccessfully attempted to delay the debate in the session and to manipulate the vote. Martin Menemfrom the Presidency, stretched the definition as much as he could. But was not successful and it was a new defeat for the Government.

The quorum was achieved with Union for the Homeland -with some absences-, the entire bench of Left Front and of the Civic Coalitionand the other blocks were divided when it came to establishing a quorum. Federal Meetingwhich was the central convener, only contributed 11 of the 16. Those who were pressured by the governors were absent. Rogelio Frigerio from Entre Ríos and Martin Llaryora from Cordoba. In the case of the UCR16 of the 34 sat down. The PRO provided 5 deputies for the quorum. In fact, the session was able to begin after 2 deputies from the yellow party sat down.

Those who gave a clear signal against the session were all of Freedom Advancesthe former Tucumans Union for the Homeland, Federal Innovation which answers to several governors, Santa Cruz, the vast majority of the PRO and half of the UCR.

The entry of some libertarians into the premises before the quorum had yet been reached was striking. Oscar Zago and his pair Ibanez and the “regretful” from the visit to Ezeiza Lourdes Arrieta y Rocio Bonacci They went to their benches, but did not sit down in order to facilitate a quorum. They only did so once it had been achieved.

The government of Javier Miley He showed his concern for try to frustrate the session. Not only with calls to pressure different blocks and governors, but also by stepping on the accelerator so that the millions destined for reserved funds would disappear as soon as possible. During the weekend, 80% of these funds were not only listed as “accrued” (assigned) but also “paid”.

If this decree is rejected in the Senate, It ceases to be in force but the effects are not retroactive backwards. That is to say: what the intelligence services have already spent should not be returned. It is already a thing of the past. To reverse the effects of the DNU, it is necessary to propose its nullity. There are projects in the House of Representatives that propose declaring its nullity, but as there is no opinion, they needed two thirds to deal with it in the session this Wednesday.

Es The government’s second defeat in Congress in less than 24 hours. On Tuesday afternoon it was the other: the presidency and the main authorities of the Bicameral Intelligence Commission. Product of the libertarian internal itself between Santiago Caputoon one side, and Victoria Villarruel and Macri’s, on the other hand, were left without bread and cake. With an agreement between the UCR y Union for the Homelandthe Bicameral Intelligence Committee was chaired by Martin Lousteau of radicalism. The first vice presidency was left to Peronism Leopoldo Moreau and for Oscar Parrilli the secretariat.

Villarruel, Macri y Patricia Bullrich They had agreed on the presidency for the PRObut when Santiago Caputo He wanted to intercede for the Peronist Edgardo Kueider everything fell apart and turned upside down.