The Budget Commission of the National Assembly, chaired by Deputy Eduardo Vásquez, from Cambio Democrático, is preparing for the next few days a package of recommendations to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) for about $500 million within the General State Budget project for 2027.
The budget hearings have already concluded and now the Commission must analyze the requests made by the institutions to define what adjustments it will recommend to the Executive.
Vásquez explained that the reconsiderations for about $500 million do not imply increasing the budget or reducing its overall amount. It is about reviewing the distribution of resources within the same project and establishing new priorities.
“It is not to increase, but to play with the same project,” said the president of the Budget Commission.
The General State Budget project for 2027 amounts to $35,111.7 million. At this stage, the Assembly analyzes the allocations proposed by the Executive and prepares recommendations that will subsequently be evaluated by the MEF.
Once the institutions’ support has been concluded, the Commission now moves from the phase of listening to the needs of each entity to defining its recommendations.
During the hearings, the institutions presented their budgets, operating needs, investment projects and pending obligations.
Vásquez maintained that the work must be carried out between the different groups and with an institutional vision, beyond political positions.
The intention, he explained, is to analyze the items and determine where adjustments can be made to meet the needs of the population without modifying the overall amount of the budget.
The Commission plans to deliver its recommendations to the Executive in the coming days.
Vásquez also marked a difference between the function of the Assembly and that of the Executive within the budget process.
As he explained, the Commission can make recommendations, but it is up to the Executive to analyze them and determine which ones to incorporate into the project.
“We recommend,” said the deputy.
Therefore, the approximately $500 million under review does not represent a new allocation of resources, but rather the amount on which the Commission evaluates possible changes in budget distribution.
The final decision on which recommendations to incorporate will correspond to the Executive.
Seniority premium, one of the sensitive issues
Among the issues that the Commission considers sensitive is the payment of seniority bonus and other obligations related to public officials.
Vásquez questioned that some institutions attribute the impossibility of meeting these obligations to the lack of budget allocation.
According to the deputy, once the MEF assigns resources to an institution, it is up to each entity to establish its priorities and use those funds according to its needs.
The seniority premium, he maintained, is an obligation that accumulates when institutions do not comply with the corresponding payments.
The topic could be part of the recommendations that the Commission will send to the Executive.
Another point that remains on the table is the budget of the National Assembly itself.
For 2027, the Legislature requested $176.6 million, while the MEF recommended around $97 million.
Vásquez acknowledged that there is a discussion about the needs of the Assembly, mainly in terms of infrastructure and technology.
However, he pointed out that any recommendation related to the Legislative budget must consider citizen perception of an eventual increase in the institution’s resources.
The difference between what was requested and what was recommended by the MEF exceeds $79 million.
The Budget Committee must now conclude the analysis of the requests presented by the institutions during the hearings.
The next step will be to prepare the document with the recommendations and send it to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Vásquez has insisted that the Assembly does not intend to increase or reduce the overall amount of the 2027 Budget.
The discussion that opens now focuses on how to distribute available resources and what priorities should receive attention within the same budget.
The approximately $500 million in reconsiderations represent the amount on which the Commission prepares its proposals, but it will be the Executive that must evaluate which of these recommendations it incorporates into the project.
