Chile Congress committee sends science budget with negative opinion — The Rio Times

On November 5, the Joint Budget Committee of Chile’s Congress forwarded the 2027 budget item for the Ministry of Science to the Chamber of Deputies with a negative opinion. Earlier, on October 21, it was rejected by the budget subcommittee.

As The Rio Times reports, the joint committee, which includes senators and deputies, did not vote again on funding for the Ministry of Science. The government did not submit amendments to this part of the draft budget, so it was forwarded for further consideration with a negative opinion.

Consideration of other budget items

On the same day, the committee approved budget items for the ministries of health, defense, foreign affairs, economy, and public lands. The Ministry of Finance item was supported unanimously, with 26 votes to zero.

At the same time, the section on the Customs Service within the Finance Ministry’s budget was rejected in a separate vote. The primary healthcare program funded by the state health insurer Fonasa received 12 votes in favor and 12 against and was also not approved.

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Budget parameters and further procedure

Chile’s Budget Directorate, Dipres, planned spending for 2027 at 91.2 trillion Chilean pesos, approximately $93 billion. This is 1.5% higher in real terms than expected spending in 2026.

The government also set a structural deficit of 1.8% of GDP. For 2026, the target stood at 2.6% of GDP, while Dipres estimates it at 2.3%.

The budget bill will next be considered by the Chamber of Deputies, after which it will be sent to the Senate. The document was submitted to Congress on September 30, and parliament has 60 days to approve it.