Milei urges US “strategic alliance” as “state policy,” outlines sweeping reform push in Congress speech
Milei also portrayed the US relationship as support that goes beyond economics. In the same speech, he said “the government of Donald Trump” had come “to help” Argentina
Argentine President Javier Milei opened Congress’ 144th regular legislative session with an address focused on foreign policy, security and a broad reform agenda. He called for a “lasting strategic alliance” with the United States and said “it is time to turn this into a state policy,” while laying out a plan to send reforms to lawmakers in staggered packages.
Washington alignment and South Atlantic framing
On geopolitics, Milei argued the relationship with Washington should not hinge on personal understandings between leaders. “This is not only an agreement between President -Donald- Trump and President Milei. It has to do with cultural affinity and strategic objectives between two countries and across the region,” he said, projecting a “century of the Americas,” “from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.”
He placed that alignment within a strategic reading of the South Atlantic. “The South Atlantic is the ground of strategic disputes in the coming decades: trade routes, natural resources, maritime sovereignty and a growing presence of actors who do not share our values,” he said, adding he would send initiatives “to strengthen coordination between security forces and intelligence.”
Milei also portrayed the US relationship as support that goes beyond economics. In the same speech, he said “the government of Donald Trump” had come “to help” Argentina, and argued the assistance also relates to the country’s international standing.
In the weeks before the address, Argentina and the United States signed a critical-minerals agreement aimed at strengthening and securing supply chains, according to Argentina’s foreign ministry. The deal was presented as an initiative with potential to spur growth and investment linked to the mining sector.
Reform packages and legislative priorities
Milei promised “nine months of structural reforms” and said each ministry has ten ready-to-file packages. Under the scheme he described, the executive branch would submit one package of bills each month for congressional debate.
He linked that roadmap to deregulation, tax changes and modifications to the political system, as reported during coverage of the address. He also referenced a reform of the Penal Code, security measures and updates to the judicial system — including pushing for jury trials — as well as education reforms intended to “ensure our children a better future, not to indoctrinate them.”
In another passage, Milei said “restricting freedom is wrong,” adding that “stealing is wrong and corruption is wrong.” He argued that economic opening “improves living conditions,” and claimed that “only the inefficient and criminals lose” under that approach.
Clashes with Kirchnerite lawmakers and judicial references
The address also featured sharp exchanges with the Peronist opposition. Milei referred to former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and said she “will remain in jail because she’s a thief,” invoking multiple investigations and court cases. He also said: “I love to tame them, I love to make them cry,” in remarks aimed at opposition lawmakers in the chamber.
On foreign policy, Milei accused Kirchnerism of having aligned Argentina with “Venezuela and Iran’s terrorists,” and referenced the bombings of Israel’s embassy in Argentina (1992) and the AMIA Jewish community center (1994). He also demanded explanations over the death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who was investigating the AMIA case.
Economy, taxes and criticism of business practices
Milei devoted a substantial portion of the speech to his economic diagnosis and claimed results. He said “the root of inflation is money printing” linked to fiscal deficits, and asserted that in his first month in office the government eliminated a deficit equivalent to 5% of GDP. In the same section, he cited social and education indicators as part of what he described as the situation he inherited.
In a segment aimed at competitiveness, he criticized domestic prices for industrial inputs and business practices he said distort markets. He cited the price of a ton of steel tube — contrasting local costs with international benchmarks — and mentioned tire prices as well, while alleging “extortion” and sectoral pressure in negotiations with the state.
On institutional changes, he said he would pursue reforms tied to private property through amendments to the Civil and Commercial Code, and pledged to remove “a mountain of regulatory chains” to unlock investment and production. He also said the government would overhaul the tax system, deepen economic opening and pursue trade deals; he singled out a prospective agreement with the United States and pledged to reform the Customs Code to meet “new challenges.”
Political backdrop and next steps
The speech comes as Milei’s government seeks to keep passing reforms in a Congress where it lacks outright majorities, relying on negotiations with allied blocs. Labor reform has been one of the most contentious fronts: unions have threatened mass protests against the government’s proposals, while business groups have backed the changes as part of a shift toward lower regulatory costs and greater flexibility.
With the new legislative year underway, the executive will need to translate headline commitments into bill text and navigate parliamentary bargaining. Milei, for his part, framed the US alliance and the South Atlantic as core pillars of his international posture, alongside a domestic agenda that aims to move simultaneously on economic, security and institutional reforms.
