Argentina expands 2026 budget for education, social security and intelligence

The Argentine government issued Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU) 594 to modify the 2026 budget, adding roughly $409 million for ANSES transfers to provincial pension funds, increasing education spending for salaries and scholarships, allocating $49 million to the State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE), and securing $280 million for debt service. Additional measures included incorporating $24 billion of Central Bank earnings into the budget, using BCRA profits to cover university financing, and a modest fiscal deficit at the municipal level in Trenque Lauquen. Provincial finances showed the weakest first‑quarter surplus since 2012, while a study warned that eliminating the provincial income‑tax (Ingresos Brutos) would take 14‑19 years. Pension payments faced a progressive IRPF reduction, and employment data indicated a loss of over 200 000 formal jobs since the Milei administration began.

In Chile, President José Antonio Kast and Interior Sub‑Secretary Máximo Pavez activated emergency funding mechanisms to respond to a large frontal storm. Regional authorities were allowed to use up to 2 % of their budgets for disaster relief, with an additional allocation of $1.1 billion for the Biobío region. SENAPRED reported three deaths, dozens of injuries, and widespread damage across Araucanía, Biobío, Ñuble, Maule and O’Higgins, leaving hundreds of houses destroyed and over 250 000 people without electricity. The emergency response is coordinated through regional risk‑management committees.