Alejandro Álvarez confronted the rector of UNRN and dismantled his complaint about the university budget

In the context of the firm battle led by the Executive Power of President Javier Milei to consolidate fiscal order and eradicate the maneuvers of the political caste in the educational system, the Undersecretary of University Policies of the Nation dismantled a new disinformation operation perpetrated by the academic bureaucracy. In response to the media onslaught from leaders of the National Interuniversity Council (CIN) —a space aptly described as "the CGT of rectors"—, the national administration reaffirmed that the transfers intended for the maintenance of higher education institutions are not only fully guaranteed but also record increases under a strict premise of transparency and respect for university autonomy and self-sufficiency.

The government's strong response was articulated through the social network X, where the Undersecretary of University Policies of the Nation, Alejandro Álvarez, harshly confronted the technical inconsistencies presented by university authorities in their presentation before the National Deputies.

Upon evaluating the statements made in that parliamentary setting, Alejandro Álvarez categorically stated: "I want to highlight the incoherence, the lack of technical rigor, and the lack of seriousness in the presentation by the Rector of the National University of Río Negro and Vice President of the infamous National Interuniversity Council, @CINoficial (the CGT of rectors), Anselmo Torres, before the National Deputies".

The episode that triggered the official response centered on the accusations made by Anselmo Torres, Rector of the National University of Río Negro (UNRN), who attempted to establish a supposed underfunding in the medical centers under his institution's jurisdiction. During his speech, Anselmo Torres questioned the Executive Power stating: "I want to highlight the incoherence, the lack of technical rigor, and the lack of seriousness even in the proposal that the government puts forward. The truth is that it is not understood".

The head of the UNRN detailed that the university has the School Hospital of Dentistry, the School Hospital of Veterinary Medicine, and the School Hospital of Kinesiology in Viedma, in addition to the Medicine program in Bariloche —located 1,000 km from Viedma and 300 km from other centers—, arguing that in 2024 the budget project included 47 million for these dependencies, an amount he compared to the 17 million approved in the previous budget and the 24 million allocated in the current fiscal year. To reinforce his claim, Anselmo Torres even stated that "if we want to renew one or two of the dental chairs, there isn't enough money. There is no seriousness, let's say".

In the face of these fallacies, Alejandro Álvarez dismantled the opposition's narrative point by point, exposing the alarming lack of technical rigor of the rector. First, the official clarified that the UNRN finances its hospital units with the funds allocated in the national budget assigned to the institution for its general operation. Alejandro Álvarez emphasized that "never, neither now nor during other governments, does the Executive Power determine whether or not to finance a particular hospital", explaining that this decision responds exclusively to the internal administration of the university in exercising its autonomy and self-sufficiency. He also confirmed that "there are no records in the Undersecretariat of University Policies of extra-budgetary allocations for these establishments", demonstrating that they have never been financed outside the general budget of the UNRN.

In quantitative terms, the figures presented by Alejandro Álvarez buried any allegations of cuts. The Undersecretary of University Policies of the Nation specified that the operating budget of the National University of Río Negro increased by 270% in 2024 and accumulated a record increase of 345% in 2025 compared to December 2023. Furthermore, he noted that for the current year, the UNRN has an official allocation of $2,609 million to ensure the normal development of its activities.

Finally, the representative of the government of Javier Milei clarified the nature of the specific allocation for University Hospitals, which was historically created to assist exclusively the UBA, UNCuyo, UNC, and UNLaR. Since the National University of Río Negro is not part of that group for not meeting the required technical criteria, it is false to claim that funds have been withdrawn or budget expansions rejected.

In light of this situation, Alejandro Álvarez was emphatic in stating that there is no lack of funding from the Executive Power and launched a devastating question regarding Anselmo Torres' management: "What should we think? That he is deliberately lying or, worse yet, that the Rector has no idea how the budget of the institution he presides over is managed?", concluding that we are facing a scenario of "enormous institutional gravity".