Infrastructure Minister Ferraro fired over alleged Milei comment leaks, press report

Milei allegedly said of Argentina’s provincial governors that he would “sink them all” if they failed to back his omnibus bill

Image: Latin America News Agency via Reuters

Infrastructure Minister Guillermo Ferraro is leaving his cabinet position and his ministry is expected to be incorporated into the Economy Ministry as a secretariat. He was asked to resign over allegations that he leaked to the press threats President Javier Milei made to Argentina’s provincial governors, according to reports in the Argentine media. 

Foreign Minister Diana Mondino confirmed Ferraro’s departure in remarks to the press on Friday afternoon and said it was “practically” confirmed that the Infrastructure ministry would now be incorporated into the Economy Ministry. She said the restructure was to cut costs and declined to comment on the leak allegations.

The President has yet to comment publicly on the issue, but from his official X account, he liked a post by an anonymous user that read: “Attention. The Infrastructure Ministry will cease to exist and will become a Secretariat under the management of Toto Caputo, Economy Super Minister. Good decision. There’s no money.”

The Economy Ministry has not confirmed the news publicly yet. Casa Rosada, the Economy Ministry and the Infrastructure Ministry were contacted for comment. 

Milei’s alleged comments about Argentina’s governors were made during a cabinet meeting held on Thursday, as his ministers discussed support for the president’s omnibus bill, which is due to be voted on in the Chamber of Deputies next week. “I’m going to leave them without a peso,” he reportedly said. “I’m going to sink them all.”

Provincial governors in Argentina do not get a vote in Congress, but they hold power through national deputies and senators and can wield significant power over a province’s lawmakers in the national Congress. 

Milei’s La Libertad Avanza (LLA) coalition has no governors, and the national administration has thus far had a tense relationship with them. The president’s reported comments show how the national government is using provincial funding as a stick to pressure governors into supporting him.

The cabinet meeting came about as Milei’s government is frantically horse trading to secure enough votes in the Chamber of Deputies to pass his omnibus bill, a massive reform package seeking to liberalize Argentina’s economy.

The bill’s fate currently hangs in the balance. A modified version was approved by congressional commissions in the early hours of Wednesday morning, but most of the lawmakers who backed it voted “in dissent,” a form of expressing partial disagreement.

A vote was expected as soon as this Thursday, but was pushed back as negotiations continue. 

The government now faces a pitched battle to secure the majority the bill needs to be passed. A majority is 129 of the house’s 257 legislators, but LLA has 38 deputies, while sympathetic opposition parties PRO and the UCR have 37 and 34, respectively. On Wednesday, three deputies from the Peronist Unión por la Patria opposition coalition split from their bloc to back the bill, meaning that UxP now has 99 votes.

Guillermo Ferraro is an economist and accountant who holds a doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires. As minister, he was responsible for transport, public works, mining, energy and communications.

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