The Senate supported the rejection of the veto promoted by the Executive Branch, as the Chamber of Deputies had done two weeks ago.
In Thursday's session, the Senate confirmed its rejection of the presidential veto of the University Financing Law, which was confirmed with 58 votes in favor.
The session was held in Plaza San Martín, where students, faculty, and non-faculty members gathered to follow the discussion and show support for the validity of this law, which guarantees the functioning of public universities throughout the country.
Rector Franco Bartolacci explained that this regulation "implies finding a real solution to the structural problems we are facing and that we have been raising since last year."
He also thanked all the legislators from both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate who supported this initiative and highlighted the efforts of the university community across the country. "Conditions are in many ways very precarious, yet everything that happens in the university environment continues to be sustained." He also thanked the public because "the University would not have gotten this far without the support that society as a whole has shown over the past few years."
Originally, in early August, the University Financing Law was approved by Congress with broad consensus. It establishes a budget update mechanism to guarantee the functioning of public universities throughout the country. Furthermore, its implementation does not impose fiscal obligations on the state, as it establishes where the funding comes from and affects only a small percentage of GDP.
The Executive Branch's veto halted this initiative, generating uncertainty within the university system regarding the continuity of its academic, scientific, and outreach activities. The rectors, representing the entire National University System, warned that the decision would directly impact teaching and research projects, as well as the study and working conditions of students, faculty, and non-teaching staff. In this context, they reiterated their commitment to defending free, high-quality public universities.
For that reason, on the day the House of Representatives initially addressed the rejection of the veto, a new National University March was held, with massive gatherings not only in the Federal Capital, but in every city where a National University is located.
In Rosario, sixty thousand people marched through the city streets in defense of the public university and national science at the same time as the Chamber of Deputies met to ultimately reject the presidential veto of the University Financing Law with 174 votes in favor.
With the Senate's decision, the parliamentary process concludes and the University Financing Law becomes final, representing a triumph for the university community and society as a whole. "Now we ask the President of the Nation to enact the law without further delay. Ratification by Congress implies at least three things, all positive: first, recognition of what the scientific and university communities have been raising with great responsibility, and with it a response. Second, we now have a legal instrument to demand the necessary budget and salary updates. And finally, the law lays a foundation for discussing the 2026 budget and beyond, substantially different from that established in the draft submitted by the National Executive Branch to Congress, and this is very important for the future. That is why we say the law is important because it repairs the past, but above all because it creates a very different foundation for the future," said Rector Bartolacci.
Journalist: Gonzalo J. García / Photographer: Camila Casero.