Dominican Republic government proposes major increase to public works budget

The Dominican Republic executive has submitted a modification to the 2026 General State Budget Law, requesting an additional 40.978 billion pesos for public investment. The proposal would raise the Ministry of Public Works and Communications' appropriations by 10.165 billion pesos and increase the Ministry of Housing, Habitat and Buildings budget by 3.792 billion pesos, with further allocations to Agriculture, Industry, Commerce and the Treasury. As of July 10, only 40.6 % of the originally planned capital spending had been executed, amounting to 87.479 billion pesos of the 215.285 billion pesos budgeted, while construction projects have consumed 45.7 % of their allocated funds.

Separate commentary highlights the high cost of the Dominican Congress, noting that legislators receive benefits and tax exemptions that place the per‑capita expense at US$13, well above the Latin American average. Critics argue that these privileges and legislative inertia hinder timely legal updates and strain the national treasury.