August 8th, 2025
1. The government officially vetoed the laws on pension increases and disability emergencies
President Javier Milei completely vetoed three laws passed by Congress on July 10, which established increases in pensions and a rise in the bonuses granted, reinstated the pension moratorium for two years, and declared an emergency for disability benefits. Thus, after days of delay, the Executive rejected the three pieces of legislation through Decree 534/2025, arguing that the initiatives lacked sufficient sources of funding and presented serious irregularities in their legislative process. From now on, the possibility of Congress insisting on the vetoed laws will depend on the opposition, which would need to gather a qualified majority of two-thirds of the legislators present in the Chamber of Deputies to force their enactment.
2. Deputies approved laws on university funding and pediatric emergencies
With 129 deputies present in their benches, the opposition achieved a quorum in the Chamber of Deputies to hold a session with an agenda that included 13 issues that are controversial for the government due to their high fiscal impact. In this context, it gave preliminary approval to increased university funding and the pediatric health emergency amid the crisis at Garrahan Hospital. It also called on the Budget and Finance Committee, chaired by José Luis Espert, to address several issues, such as the governors’ preliminary approval of the automatic distribution of ATNs and the Fuel Tax, the Alzheimer’s Law, and the national emergency of the Science and Technology System. However, the vetoes of the Retirement and Emergency Laws for the Disabled were not discussed in this session, and at the last minute, the Emergency for Bahía Blanca due to flooding was also left off the agenda.
3. The Secretaries of Industry and Commerce and SMEs have resigned
The Ministry of Economy suffered two new losses in recent hours: the departure of the Secretary of Industry and Commerce, Esteban Marzorati, and his counterpart at the Secretariat for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Entrepreneurs, and the Knowledge Economy, Marcos Ayerra, who resigned for “personal reasons” and “new professional challenges,” according to Luis Caputo’s portfolio. “The functions of the Secretariat of Industry and Trade and the Secretariat of SMEs, Entrepreneurs and Knowledge Economy will be absorbed by the Secretariat of Production Coordination of the Ministry of Economy [headed by Pablo Lavigne],” reported the Ministry of Finance. According to the official statement, “while the process of optimizing the structure continues to make its operation more efficient, the Undersecretaries will remain in office reporting to the Secretary, Pablo Lavigne. Within this framework, the teams of the Secretariats will continue to work and the programs will remain in force.” They also announced that “the 14th of this month will be the last day in office”.
Ministerio de Economía: El Gobierno Nacional simplifica la estructura de la Secretaría de Coordinación de Producción del Ministerio de Economía
4. Alliances are closed for the October 26 elections
The deadline for registering alliances for the national elections on October 26 has closed, drawing a new electoral map in the country’s 24 districts. The landscape is marked by the formation of two major fronts, La Libertad Avanza and Fuerza Patria, which are set to face off at the polls to determine the composition of Congress starting on December 10. For the legislative elections in October, La Libertad Avanza (LLA) has defined a mixed strategy. In several provinces like Chaco, Entre Ríos, Mendoza, the City of Buenos Aires, and the Province of Buenos Aires, LLA has sealed alliances with governors to expand its representation in Congress. However, in other provinces—including Santa Fe, Córdoba, La Rioja, and Santiago del Estero—it has chosen to compete alone against the local official party. In other cases, such as in La Pampa, Tucumán, Misiones, and Catamarca, LLA will run alongside the PRO party. This strategy of alliances and solo competition seeks to consolidate the official party’s power in the second half of Javier Milei’s term. Meanwhile, the PJ party achieved unity in 18 provinces under the “Fuerza Patria” banner. The most notable divisions are in provinces such as Salta, Misiones, Chubut, Tierra del Fuego, Córdoba, Jujuy, and San Luis, where party interventions or internal conflicts have led to separate lists or the integration of Peronist sectors into other fronts. In contrast, in the Province and City of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Chaco, Tucumán, Mendoza, San Juan, Neuquén, Río Negro, La Pampa, Santa Cruz, Formosa, La Rioja, Entre Ríos, and Catamarca, Peronism has managed to consolidate a unified electoral offering.
5. The government eliminated export taxes on minerals, iron, and metals
The national government announced, through the publication of Decree 563/2025 in the Official Gazette, the elimination of withholding taxes on exports of minerals, iron, and metals. According to the authorities, the tax relief is expected to translate into benefits for the mining industry. Among the mining sector products that will be affected by the new regulations are those categorized under non-metallic mining, metallic mining, application rocks, fuels, and precious and/or semi-precious stones.
Infobae: Eliminaron las retenciones para la exportación de minerales, hierros y metales