A day of political tension unfolded at La Moneda this Tuesday, marked by allegations of censorship against lawmakers and a defense of technical budgetary processes. The controversy centers on an internal memo from the Ministry of Finance proposing the restructuring of educational programs and the potential elimination of certain school nutrition initiatives.
Senator Loreto Carvajal (PPD) told reporters that she was prevented from addressing the media after visiting La Moneda to deliver a letter on behalf of school cafeteria workers. According to the legislator's account, reported by BioBioChile, the restriction was due to the lack of a prior meeting with government ministers.
“In my 16 years as a parliamentarian, we find it unheard of that we must receive instructions conditioned on a meeting with a minister at La Moneda in order to speak with the press,” Carvajal stated, noting that the instruction was delivered by an official from the General Secretariat of the Presidency (Segpres).
The conflict arises amid the debate over Ministry of Finance memo number 16, which suggests modifying 42 initiatives and potentially cutting 15 others. Among the programs at risk is the School Feeding Program (PAE), which provides breakfast, lunch, and dinner to vulnerable students.
Defense of the technical process
On the other hand, Republican Party leader Senator Arturo Squella rejected interpretations suggesting a definitive cut to social benefits. In statements to CNN Chile, the senator called it "absurd" to think the government would eliminate the feeding program.
Squella maintained that the document from the Budget Office (Dipres) is a technical input for the preparation of the 2027 budget and not a final political decision. The senator accused opposition sectors of using the information for electoral purposes.
“It is so crude to think that the government is going to cut a feeding program; it is totally absurd,” Squella affirmed. The leader also noted that a communication error fueled the public debate: “A massive uproar was created over something that is quite simple.”
The senator also directly targeted figures from the left, claiming they used the evaluation to stir up discontent. “The people who perhaps genuinely believed that was true did so because malicious people, with political tricks, used this evaluation,” Squella maintained, according to La Tercera.
In the same vein, the Republican leader backed the stance of Finance Minister Mario Quilodrán (noted as part of the rigorous evaluation) and the clarifications provided by Dipres regarding the nature of these reports, which aim to refine long-standing public policies through technical adjustments.
