Eighty percent of the professors are below the poverty line,’ Senator De Pedro recalled during the legislative debate.

In the early hours of this Friday, the Argentine Senate approved a bill for university education funding and repealed an urgent decree to finance intelligence services.

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After a five-hour session, the Upper Chamber approved the university funding bill with 57 affirmative votes, 10 negative votes, and one abstention. This bill had already been passed by the Lower Chamber in August. However, the Senate’s decision could be vetoed by Argentine President Javier Milei, who is determined to minimize public services as much as possible.

In fact, last week, Chief of Staff Guillermo Francos warned that Milei would veto any law that goes against reducing fiscal spending, a goal the far-right leader set when he took office on December 10, 2023.

Despite the threats, the bill approved by the Senate increases funds to cover operating expenses and pay the salaries of professors and administrative staff at public universities.

“Eighty percent of the professors are below the poverty line. The salary increase was only 57 percent,” said Union for the Homeland Senator Eduardo de Pedro during the legislative debate, emphasizing that accumulated inflation reached 135 percent between November 2023 and July 2024.

The Senate session took place amid protests from the National Federation of University Professors (CONADU), which mobilized citizens to demand professors’ rights. CONADU leaders warned that new massive protests would take place if the Milei administration vetoes the Senate’s latest decisions.

In the early hours of this Friday, the Senate also rejected Milei’s decree that allocated about US$66 million to the State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE). This decision was supported by the Union for the Homeland and Radical Civic Union caucuses.

teleSUR/ JF Sources: Pagina 12 – EFE

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