On July 30, the Deputies’ Budget and Finance Committee ruled in favor of the bill to expand the 2020 budget presented by the Executive branch. The text was supported with 27 signatures, but was rejected by the opposition coalition Juntos por el Cambio. The ruling party is aiming to include the bill in the session to take place tomorrow. 

After three meetings held this week which attempted to reach a consensus on the text, committee chairman Carlos Heller (Frente de Todos – ruling party) accepted some of the modifications suggested by the Deputies. However, Heller did not accede to any of the requests made by the largest opposition bloc which claimed to be against the application of VAT on milk and dollarizing the debt in pesos. 

The budget expansion aims to reallocate items so as to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic and social consequences.