Both initiatives must now be passed by the Senate. The Emergency Law for Garrahan received 181 votes in favor, and the University Financing Law received 174. A massive march in defense of education and public health is taking place near Congress.

The Chamber of Deputies dealt a severe blow to Javier Milei's administration on Wednesday by rejecting presidential vetoes of the University Financing Law and the Pediatric Emergency Law, which guarantees extraordinary funds for hospitals like Garrahan. The measure now paves the way for the vetoes to move to the Senate, where they are also expected to be rejected.

The opposition needed two-thirds of the votes to advance its efforts. The pediatric emergency bill was approved with 181 votes in favor, 60 against, and one abstention, while university funding received 174 votes in favor, 67 against, and two abstentions, comfortably achieving the required special majority.

The Pediatric Emergency Law provides extraordinary funding for hospitals like Garrahan and provides for the adjustment of healthcare workers' salaries based on inflation. Meanwhile, the University Financing Law updates university operating expenses based on the Price Index and mandates the reopening of the sector's collective bargaining agreement.

The legislative rejection highlighted the Executive's difficulty in reaching consensus with governors who had been allies. The Casa Rosada attempted to approach the governors with $12.5 billion in ATN funds distributed among Misiones ($4 billion), Entre Ríos ($3 billion), Santa Fe ($3 billion), and Chaco ($2.5 billion), but failed to garner key support.

National repercussions

The session highlighted the distancing of the ruling party's usual allies: MID representatives Oscar Zago and Eduardo Falcone, and the former Libertarians who formed the Coherencia bloc, Marcela Pagano, Carlos D'Alessandro, Gerardo González, and Lourdes Arrieta, voted against the vetoes. D'Alessandro explained:"We have walked the halls of Garrahan with parents who have traveled thousands of kilometers in search of solutions. Voting against Garrahan is voting against moral equilibrium."

Chubut Governor Ignacio Torres also expressed his displeasure with the Casa Rosada (Presidential Palace) by not supporting the votes of "Loma" Ávila and Ana Clara Romero. Alberto Weretilneck did the same, sending Agustín Domingo.

For their part, the Misiones representatives from the Federal Innovation Party—Alberto Arrúa, Carlos Fernández, Yamila Ruiz, and Daniel Vancsik—voted against the vetoes.

Likewise, the governor of Misiones, Hugo Passalacqua, celebrated the decision of the Chamber of Deputies of the Nation to reject the national government's vetoes on the financing of public universities and the Garrahan Pediatric Hospital, and especially highlighted the support of Misiones deputies in defense of these institutions.

I celebrate with great joy the decision of our national representatives to speak out in support of the Garrahan Pediatric Hospital and, as a professor at the beloved UNaM, I am also particularly proud of their support for the public university. Health and the future…

— Hugo Passalacqua (@passalacquaok) September 17, 2025

Sergio Massa also expressed his joy at the rejection of the vetoes. The political figure emphasized the importance of the citizen and legislative support:"The power of the pronouncement from Congress and the streets is crystal clear: we must defend the public, free, inclusive, and excellent university and a Garrahan university with the capacity to serve the boys and girls of the entire country. Congratulations."

The power of the pronouncements from Congress and the streets is crystal clear: we must defend a public, free, inclusive, and excellent university, along with a Garrahan capable of serving the children of the entire country. Congratulations. — Sergio Massa (@SergioMassa) September 17, 2025

Other government allies, such as representatives Lisandro Nieri and Pamela Verasay (Mendoza) and Silvia Lospennato (PRO), also joined the opposition. Lospennato stated:"These laws are a patch that will resolve a management deficit." Even some Radicals and representatives of CREO and the liberal bloc López Murphy abstained or voted against.

The voting table highlighted the parliamentary weakness of the ruling party and the consequences of Karina Milei, Lule, and Martín Menem's strategy of presenting their own LLA slates in several provinces, generating friction with governors and electoral allies.

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