The discussion of the General Budget of the Nation by 2026, one of the most important bills of the year, maintains its course between stumbling; After the session of the joint economic commissions that was scheduled for this Wednesday, September 10 was canceled without explanation Officer by the General Secretariats of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The decision fell like a cold water bucket amid a political environment already loaded with tensions and was constituted as a fact that did not go unnoticed. In Congress, this meeting was expected to advance towards the filing of the presentation, an indispensable step to begin formal debates. However, the postponement leaves the schedule in the air and increases uncertainty about the final amount of the budget, which has already been a reason for controversy between government and legislative.
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The failed meeting at the Nariño Casa
The discomfort was exacerbated last Tuesday, September 9, when a meeting was canceled Convened in Nariño’s house between President Gustavo Petro and the members of the economic commissions, which was initially scheduled for 6:00 pm, and then postponed by 9:00 pm, however, the delay was taken as a lack of respect by several congressmen, who decided not to attend.
For various congressmen who spoke with Portfolio, the suspension of the meeting showed the lack of political coordination around a bill that requires broad consensus and for others, the government not only lacks strategy to ensure support, but sends signals of improvisation that hinder the construction of agreements.
The PGN 2026 must be approved in the first debate before September 15.
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Thus, the cancellations, both of the session in Congress and the meeting in the Palace, fed the perception of a rare -raised atmosphere around the 2026 budget; while the Lack of official explanations and the absence of a clear schedule arouse suspicion.
Some parliamentary sectors argue that these maneuvers could respond to a deliberate intention of the Executive to delay the beginning of the debates, with the aim of bringing the process to the limit of the legal term and thus maintain control over the final amount.
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The disagreement of the U Party
In the midst of this panorama, the U party has expressed its disagreement for what It considers a government interference on issues of its political spring and as it transpired in the corridors of the Capitol, the discomfort is due to the fact that senior executive officials have assumed competences related to the Ministry of ICT, a portfolio that in recent years has had a close relationship with that party.
The discontent has climbed to the point that the U had considered not attending the meeting with President Petro, which would have further complicated the political scenario and although there was finally no meeting, the gesture reflects the growing distance between this community and the government, at a key moment for the approval of the budget.
The PGN 2026 must be approved in the first debate before September 15.
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Meanwhile, although the presentation of the budget was expected to be based this week, the truth is that an official text is not yet known and consequently, the immediate risk is that the amount will be Voting without a paper document that organizes discussions.
Do not forget that the lack of paper also opens the door for the budget cut to be greater than the $ 7 billion that at some point were raised as a balance point, although without a clear proposal on the table, each political sector maintains its own calculations, and the possibility that the reduction is more drastic grows as the days without agreements pass.
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The clock against
The law establishes that the amount of the budget must be approved by the economic commissions before September 15. Although there is still a margin, the succession of delays and cancellations complicates the panorama.
If the Congress does not approve the amount on the established date, the risk is that the government ends up issuing the budget by decree, a legal but politically expensive exit; Therefore, voices that warn about this possibility are already heard, which has increased distrust of the Executive.
The PGN 2026 must be approved in the first debate before September 15.
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In this context, the possibility that the budget suffers a cut greater than $ 7 billion gains land; while the argument of critical congressmen is that the projected deficit and the lack of Clear financing sources force a deeper adjustment.
Likewise, the fact that there is no filed paper reinforces uncertainty; Since in the best case, an agreement would be reached in the next few days, but the precedent of cancellations and delays sows doubts about the real will of the government to find consensus with the legislative.
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It should be remembered that the National Budget of 2026 is not just an accounting document, It represents the priorities of spending and investment of the last section of the Petro government and any cut, either $ 7 billion or a larger figure, would force to rethink social programs, infrastructure projects and sectoral commitments.
While Congress, aware of this responsibility, has expressed willingness to vote; The lack of concrete advances threatens to undermine that will and bring the discussion to a land of political confrontation rather than technical analysis, and because of this, the question that is around the Capitol is whether the cancellations and delays respond to a calculated strategy of the government or simple improvisation.
The PGN 2026 must be approved in the first debate before September 15.
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In this way, the injured start of the discussion of the General Budget of the Nation 2026 leaves more questions than answers, since the cancellation of key sessions, the nonconformity of parties such as the U and the absence of A broadcast drawing a complex panorama for the approval of the final amount.
With the clock against, the Government challenge will be to demonstrate that it can build real consensus and dissipate the suspicion that it seeks to delay the process to impose its figures or otherwise, the country could face a scenario of greater cut, political tension and a budget approved by decree, with all the consequences that this would imply for governance and fiscal stability.
Daniel Hernández Naranjo
Portfolio journalist
