President Javier Milei’s administration has reduced by fifty percent the emergency assistance allocated to Bahía Blanca following the severe storms that occurred last March – merely days after securing the support of voters in the southern Buenos Aires Province city. In the elections held on September 7 for the provincial legislature, Milei’s La Libertad Avanza party secured 46.1 percent of the vote in Bahía Blanca. This outcome represents a notable achievement for the ruling party in a region where it generally faced significant losses to the opposition Peronist front.
Voters, however, should not expect to be compensated for that decision. In a recent announcement featured in the Official Gazette, the Milei administration has reduced the allocation of its special emergency aid fund for Bahía Blanca from 200 billion pesos to 100 billion pesos. The measure impacts not only families who are still awaiting assistance but also has implications for infrastructure projects aimed at repairing flood damage. The initial amount was allocated by the head of state through Decree 238/25 following the catastrophic flooding that resulted in 18 fatalities. The reduction was validated in a report, which was endorsed by Cabinet Chief Guillermo Francos and Economy Minister Luis Caputo. The announcement of the measure occurred shortly after the elections, leading to discontent among certain groups in the region. On March 7, Bahía Blanca experienced one of the most catastrophic storms in its recent history. In a span of fewer than eight hours, precipitation exceeded 400 millimetres – a figure that is double the annual average – resulting in the tragic loss of at least 20 lives and impacting thousands of individuals. The deluge of water inundated streams, dismantled bridges, and obliterated all in its trajectory, resulting in a chaotic accumulation of vehicles and the devastation of residences and medical facilities.
Over 1,000 individuals were evacuated, resulting in approximately 20 fatalities. Among the deceased were two young girls, whose bodies were discovered weeks later. Local authorities have assessed the damages to be approximately US$400 million. In response to the magnitude of the disaster, the federal government instituted three days of national mourning and mobilized the Army to support relief operations. Milei made an appearance in the affected area five days post-catastrophe, facing increasing scrutiny regarding the timing of his visit. This marks yet another instance in which the Executive Branch has sought to reduce financial allocations for the city affected by the storm. In June, President Milei exercised his veto power against a law that had garnered approval from both chambers of Congress. This legislation aimed to establish a fund amounting to 200 billion pesos, intended for the reconstruction of the city’s infrastructure and the provision of direct and indirect subsidies to families impacted by the situation.
At that juncture, the government contended that a decree was already in place designating resources for the emergency. “With the measures adopted to enforce the provisions of Decree 238/25, there has been a reconstruction task rendering financial aid unnecessary as proposed by the sanctioned bill, within a context of budgetary hardship as the current emergency,” reads the text with which Casa Rosada justified the cutback. The reduction occurs amidst a period of significant political and social sensitivity, as commitments to aid start to wane in light of the fiscal adjustment strategy that the government continues to advocate.