President Javier Milei responded to the president of La Rioja, Ricardo Quintela, who demanded that the Government pay a debt of $9.3 billion with his province, within the framework of a protest by the security forces that was already resolved with a salary restructuring agreement. “If he spends money hiring Lali Espósito and then does not pay the police, It’s not our problem”, declared the president.
The Rioja territory experienced hours of tension due to a demonstration led by provincial security forces and health personnel. For this reason, bank headquarters and public buildings were left without custody. In this context, Quintela launched a battery of measures to alleviate the crisis and floated the possibility of creating its own currency. In this regard, Milei said “let them do it”.
“The market itself is going to determine what value it assigns to its respective governors when they want to accept or not the bills they issue,” Milei said this Sunday in communication with radio Mitre and crossed Quintela: “We don’t keep anyone’s money. Therefore, if you have a problem in how you allocate resources… Let’s say, if you spend money hiring Lali Espósito and then don’t pay the police, it’s not our problem.”.
Milei: “No matter what happens around us, we are going to zero deficit because we understand that the origin of all evil is the State”
The head of state stressed that the provinces “have a budget problem” and that If they do not want to make “the corresponding adjustment”, they are not going to create wealth by “printing banknotes”. Furthermore, he pointed out against the governors: “It seems that we We are dominated by apes who believe in price controlwho believe that the emission does not generate inflation.” “With ape methods you cannot have Einstein results,” he rebuked.
According to Quintela, The situation of the Riojans is “desperate” and stated that he does not want people to “starve” in the province. “If before we didn’t make it to the end of the month, today they don’t make it to the end of the first week after payment. They pay their obligations and are left without money, they go shopping and don’t buy anything,” he said.
The governor said that the crisis worsened after President Javier Milei took office and decided to extend last year’s Budget, which caused annual inflation to liquefy provincial funds. Regarding the project that he sent to the Legislature to obtain approval and create a virtual or physical currency, he recalled that La Rioja had to issue its own currency during the administration of Carlos Menem and also in 2001.
Milei claimed zero fiscal deficit and warned that “austerity is not negotiable”
Javier Milei ratified today the objective of achieving zero fiscal deficit and warned that “austerity is not negotiable”while ensuring that “The damage suffered by the population depends on Congress”in reference to the treatment of the Omnibus Law project promoted by the Executive.
Before leaving for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Milei vindicated the government’s economic policy in radio statements and stressed that the zero fiscal deficit “is not negotiable.” “No matter what happens around us, we are going to zero deficit, because We understand that the origin of all evil is the State and politicians generating fiscal deficit“said the national leader.
Likewise, he added: “If we find a more adverse context because activity falls more or we have less access to the capital market, fewer resources, the adjustment we would have to make is more violent“He noted that Otherwise “the market passes the bill”when referring to the possibility that Parliament will not approve the Bases Law.
Milei answered Andrés Rodríguez (and the CGT): “What should I do? Let’s see, suggest another solution.”
Along these lines, he stated that “austerity is not negotiable, the damage suffered by the population depends on Congress, on not making a ‘fulbito’ for the tribune, as they have done in the last 40 years.” In relation to the situation that the administration found itself in, after the administration of Alberto Fernández, he indicated that “Kirchnerism left us a patient on the verge of death”.
The president also noted that “Kirchnerism divided our income by 12”. Despite the harsh diagnosis, he pointed out that they are going to “stabilize him, cure him, put him on his feet and he will have a full life, at the highest level he can aspire to.” In any case, he clarified that “it takes time,” since “it is a complex operation and we are on the right track.”
“They left us maturities in pesos for US$90,000 million, debt in Siras for US$50,000 million and they had dropped the agreement with the IMFfor US$5,000 million,” he complained. In addition, he specified that “the twin deficits were 17% of GDP, in the first week of December inflation had been traveling at 7,500% annually“and assured that they are “trying to avoid that catastrophe.”
Milei’s agenda in Davos is a headache: he has more than 80 audience requests
With respect to adjustment of 0.5% of pension expenditure, linked to the payment of salaries, Milei maintained that it is “better than the 2% that they would lose if the retirement mobility law sanctioned during the last government remained in force” and specified that with the reform “they will recover 1.5%.” Along these lines, he revealed that social containment measures were praised by the IMF and stressed that they are “trying to do the best they can with the resources available.”
On the other hand, Milei maintained thatThe DNU of economic deregulation is “revolutionary” because “it is the first time that a DNU returns individual freedoms, makes market structures more competitive and puts an end to the shady business of politics.” At the same time, he considered that with the Omnibus Law “much more was done than in many years of this democracy, and all in favor of the ideas of freedom and individual well-being.”
ML / ds