The governors went all out in the Senate and forced the government to negotiate to protect the surplus.

The governors did not remain in the middle of the river, and their senators were key to passing the pension increase and the pension moratorium into law, as well as giving preliminary approval to the bills that provide more funds to the provinces, which have now been passed to the Chamber of Deputies . The fact of the session, which was ignored by the ruling party, was that the proposals obtained unanimous support, or a two-thirds vote, providing a sort of shield against Javier Milei 's announced veto.

However, before the bills that provide more funding to the provinces were approved, the President confirmed that he would veto them, describing the opposition's move as "an act of desperation" because they know that in October, "Freedom Advances will sweep the country."

During an event at the Stock Exchange and while the session was underway in Congress, Milei announced that he would veto what was approved by the Senate and, if rejected, would take it to court. This statement conflicts with the strategy in the Senate, where the ruling party declared that the session was invalid because it had not been formally convened . However, if the President vetoes what was approved by Congress, he would validate this Thursday's session.

What was clear is that the governors were cautious in the run-up to Thursday's session after the President accused them of wanting to "break everything" and asserted that "what they're asking for isn't right."

In response to these statements, the PRO and UCR governors held a Zoom meeting, and hours before the session, the majority of those participating in the talks let it be known that they would not support the bills that bothered Milei. They refused to support the pension and disability emergency bills, but none of their representatives voted against them, and there were even votes in favor of the pension laws.

The panel was composed of governors Rogelio Frigerio (Entre Ríos), Ignacio Torres (Chubut), Alfredo Cornejo (Mendoza), Maximiliano Pullaro (Santa Fe), Marcelo Orrego (San Juan), Claudio Poggi (San Luis), Carlos Sadir (Jujuy), Leandro Zdero (Chaco), and the mayor of Buenos Aires, Jorge Macri. Gustavo Valdés, from Corrientes, was not present.

At that meeting, the negotiators decided to distance themselves from the bills that had received partial approval from the House of Representatives because they generated significant fiscal costs. Instead, they promised to pursue the bills agreed upon and presented by the senators, including making the Liquid Fuel Tax (ICL) shareable, modifying the distribution of National Treasury Contributions (ATN), and eliminating trust funds.

The salary increase and the bonus increase were approved overall with 52 votes in favor, including the three from Corrientes. Radicals Eduardo Vischi and Mercedes Valenzuela, and Carlos "Camau" Espínola, all allies of the ruling party. The moratorium did not have the support of the Radicals, but it did have the support of the senator from the Federal Unity Party.

However, the legislators answering to Cornejo, Frigerio, and Zdero decided to abstain from voting, while the two senators answering to Nacho Torres, Edith Terenzi and Andrea Cristina, abstained on the pension increase and were absent from the moratorium debate.

Also supporting the pension increase were Mónica Silva, from Río Negro, who answers to Alberto Weretilneck, as well as José María Carambia and Natalia Gadano, from Santa Cruz. They are not strictly aligned with Governor Claudio Vidal, but they work in favor of the province. Alejandra Vigo, from Córdoba, who is close to Martín Llaryora, also voted along the same lines.

Meanwhile, Misiones residents Carlos Arce and Sonia Rojas de Decout, who follow the instructions of political leader Carlos Rovira, abstained from voting on the pension increase bill and were absent from the discussion on the pension moratorium, which received 39 votes in favor, 14 against, and 1 abstention. It's worth noting that Pullaro, Orrego, Poggi, Sadir, and Jorge Macri do not have their own senators.

Meanwhile, Gustavo Sáenz (Salta), Gildo Insfrán (Formosa), Osvaldo Jaldo (Tucumán), Raúl Jalil (Catamarca), Gustavo Melella (Tierra del Fuego), Ricardo Quintela (La Rioja), Gerardo Zamora (Santiago del Estero) and Sergio Ziliotto (La Pampa), gave their support to the proposals along with Axel Kicillof (Buenos Aires).

It was clear that, beyond the caution of the negotiators, the governors wanted to show unity and send a message to the Casa Rosada . Now the provincial funding projects will move to the House of Representatives, where a new battle will likely begin, starting in August, as the winter recess has begun in some districts.

The problem is that so far they see no order in the government, and in recent hours they've sent mixed signals without opening negotiations with the provinces, which is generating more tension between the two sectors.