UNC seeks unsustainable budget protection without consensus or political support

The National University of Córdoba (UNC) hosted a new demand for increased university funding. Opposition bloc deputies, teaching and non-teaching unions, and academic authorities participated, but there was no representation from La Libertad Avanza. The meeting took place days after the petition from Córdoba universities for more funding.

The rector of the UNC, John Boretto, stated: "We have had two years with extended budgets," although he omitted that the current funding was extended by Congress. The meeting was part of a nationally coordinated action, promoted by CIN and previously rejected by the Executive Branch. In 2024, a similar project was vetoed by President Milei for lacking financial support and for representing a cost of 0.14% of GDP.

Despite the institutional tone of the meeting, some legislators took the opportunity to highlight political differences with the national government. From Radicalism to Kirchnerism, they attended the UNC to support the initiative. Notably, those who attended had already supported the project vetoed last year, which casts doubt on the possibility of a new consensus.

A repeated law seeking to impose pressure from the universities

The project, promoted by the National Interuniversity Council, seeks to raise university funding to 1.5% of GDP within six years. The initiative was already presented by CIN in April before the Education Committee, with union and student support. The content is similar to what the Executive Branch vetoed in 2024 due to its fiscal impact and lack of budgetary planning.

Rector Boretto insisted on the need to ensure a minimum level of resources for university operations. He argued that the loss of purchasing power among staff and inflation affect academic development. However, the criticisms of the current budget were not accompanied by proposals for spending cuts, internal reforms, or resource rationalization.

The demand arose in a context in which Congress has not yet debated the 2025 national budget. The universities claim that the current extension covers only 50% of their operational needs. However, the push for a law that commits to spending targets without guaranteeing concrete sources once again clashes with the fiscal logic currently governing the national administration.

Meeting without libertarians and without future guarantees

The legislators who participated promised to bring the demand to Congress and defend the law in the event of a possible new presidential veto. Natalia de la Sota, Juan Brügge, Carlos Gutiérrez, and Pablo Carro agreed that higher education must be shielded from budget cuts. However, the political reality shows that without support from the ruling party, the initiative lacks concrete viability.

At the UNC, they valued the "plurality" of the meeting, although the absence of the bloc currently leading the lower house was notable. According to university sources, they avoided entering into partisan disputes, although several recalled what happened during the 2024 legislative debate. The meeting was seen as an attempt to reposition the issue without direct confrontation, but also without substantive developments.

For now, a public class is already being prepared to collect signatures and there is speculation about a possible new federal march. The strategy aims to recreate the social pressure of the first half of this year. Nevertheless, the outcome will depend less on the number of filled squares and more on the votes obtained in Congress for a repeated request with scant legislative support.