Argentina’s opposition builds quorum with governors to challenge Milei over debt and disability emergency

Argentina’s opposition is preparing to use the Chamber of Deputies to pressure President Javier Milei’s government over two issues it considers urgent: rising household debt and arrears, and the extension of the disability emergency, which expires at the end of the year.

The session is scheduled for noon on Wednesday. Its purpose is not to approve either measure, but to instruct the relevant committees to set dates for issuing reports. Opposition blocs want the full chamber to establish deadlines and require the governing party to follow them through committees it controls.

By the end of the report, the quorum needed to begin the debate appeared almost guaranteed. The opposition strengthened its position particularly through the disability issue, which cuts across party lines and also affects provincial health systems.

Governors who had generally stayed close to the Casa Rosada are expected to provide support this time. Deputies linked to Osvaldo Jaldo of Tucumán, Raúl Jalil of Catamarca and Gustavo Sáenz of Salta, with three lawmakers each, were among those expected to back the session. The opposition says those votes could push it past the 129 needed to open proceedings.

The governing libertarian bloc tried to defuse the session last week by allowing committee discussions to begin. The Finance and Disability committees then scheduled informational meetings and work plans, promising reports on both issues before the end of the month. Critical blocs distrust that timetable and say it is designed to delay debate, so they want the chamber to impose concrete deadlines. On debt, the opposition aims to consolidate about 50 proposals in the Finance and Consumer Protection committees, covering refinancing plans, interest reductions, rate limits and tighter controls on banks and fintech companies.