Argentina’s President Javier Milei this Friday has once again moved to annul the Disability Emergency Law, marking the fourth such legal offensive before the Supreme Court of Justice.

The President of Argentina, Javier Milei, went to court again this Tuesday to annul the Emergency Law on Disability. This fourth legal offensive, directed before the Supreme Court of Justice, deepened the State of unprotection that has been suffered by this sector for months.

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This action has severely deepened the state of vulnerability experienced by people with disabilities for months, occurring in parallel with significant advances in a judicial investigation into a sprawling corruption scheme within the National Agency for Disability (ANDIS, in Spanish).

Text reads: “Milei’s chainsaw for disability: the new law would leave 5 million at the mercy of the market. Lawyer Marta Lastra warned that the reform of Law 24.901 would put the benefit system at risk.”

The consistent lack of state payments has directly led to specialized medical attention being suspended by healthcare providers and a complete cessation of transport services, effectively dismantling the historical public support system for persons with disabilities. This withdrawal of essential services has left many without critical care and mobility, exacerbating an already dire situation.

These cutbacks, presented under the alleged fiscal austerity, have provoked widespread condemnation from Human Rights organizations and affected communities, who argue that the Argentinean far-right Government is systematically abandoning its most vulnerable citizens.

In parallel, concerning the National Agency for Disability case, the judiciary has determined that the total amount of embezzlement within the agency reaches 75 billion pesos, a figure close to 55 million U.S. dollars. This staggering sum underscores a profound systemic failure and misuse of public funds intended for the disabled community.

The ongoing investigations have directly implicated Karina Milei, the President’s sister and a central figure of power within the Government, in a complex corruption network that has already led to multiple arrests. The presiding judge in the case confirmed a calculated plot involving public employees and business owners to rig tenders and unlawfully exclude legitimate competitors from the bidding process, ensuring illicit gains.

The judicial ruling meticulously detailed the collection of a 20% bribe on contracts and purchases with exorbitant overpricing, reaching up to 2,000% in some instances. While the magistrate confirmed the diversion of millions in public funds towards private interests, the Milei’s administration simultaneously denied basic resources for the assistance of the population with disabilities, justifying these denials with a narrative of fiscal adjustment. This fiscal adjustment, however, conspicuously failed to address or prevent the extensive financial irregularities detected within National Agency for Disability, leading to accusations of hypocrisy and deliberate neglect against the Government.

In this grim context, persons with disabilities, retirees and students staged a massive protest in late April in front of Argentinean Ministry of Health. The demonstrators vociferously demanded compliance with the emergency law and unequivocally rejected the Executive’s new legislative project, which threatens to deepen budgetary cuts against the nation’s most vulnerable groups.

During the demonstration, the Permanent Forum for the Promotion and Defense of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities denounced grave irregularities in the delivery of essential medicines, which have tragically interrupted vital treatments for thousands of citizens. Furthermore, the organizations critically questioned the persistent lack of payments to providers of the health programmes, who have not received their fees since October and face a tariff delay of 40% against soaring inflation, crippling their ability to provide crucial services.

Text reads: “We met with the group of people with disabilities because what is happening is very serious: the Government is not complying with the Disability Emergency Law and is pushing the system to collapse. Benefits are overdue, tariffs remain below inflation and bureaucratic red tape is multiplying. In the middle of all this are people with disabilities and their families, who see treatment disrupted and find it increasingly difficult to access their rights...”

The Government’s proposed changes establish a mandatory re-registration process for pensioners, threatening automatic payment interruptions if new economic and medical documentation is not submitted. Organizations have strongly warned that these new provisions, coupled with a proposed prohibition on receiving pensions if one holds formal employment, flagrantly violate established international standards of Human Rights, aligning with a broader pattern of neoliberal policies that prioritize fiscal austerity over social welfare.

The uncovering of massive corruption within National Agency for Disability, directly implicating high-ranking Government figures, while simultaneously denying essential services to people with disabilities, exposes a profound ethical and moral crisis.

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