By Martina Jaureguy in the Casa Rosada and Amy Booth

President Javier Milei’s spokesperson Manuel Adorni said that the incoming government would end “militant” public sector employment, and reiterated Milei’s promises to eliminate Argentina’s fiscal deficit at a press conference minutes after 8 a.m. on Monday. 

However, he declined to offer specifics on economic policy, stating that Economy Minister Luis Caputo will make an announcement on Tuesday. The exact time of Caputo’s statements has yet to be announced, he added. Asked about how the markets might react to Milei’s inauguration, he declined to engage in what he described as “futurology.”

Adorni was speaking in the Casa Rosada presidential palace before Milei’s inaugural cabinet meeting, which was held at 9 a.m.

When asked about the fate of employees in Argentina’s public sector, which Milei has pledged to slash, Adorni said that Milei would value public employees, adding: “the great majority of people who work for the state are valid, necessary.”

“What we’re going to combat is so-called militant employment, employment that’s for political reasons and doesn’t contribute anything. I’ll go further, not only does it not contribute, it takes away, because it took productivity, salary and functions from employees who want to work and would give their lives for the state.”

Milei campaigned on cutting the size of the state, waving a chainsaw around at rallies to symbolize his planned drastic cuts. His administration will have nine ministries, compared with 18 under ex-President Alberto Fernández. Among the portfolios axed by the new government are the Ministry of Women, Genders and Diversity and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.

“No-one who works, who is valid, who contributes value and who gives their all every day, as I do too, has any reason to worry,” Adorni said.

In response to a question from the Herald about what the public should do if they detect price spikes, he said that Argentina has long been seeing sharp price changes. “Argentina has a monetary problem, a monetary emission problem, that Milei, every day of his life since I met him, has been highlighting, and which will continue to affect prices for a long time.” He added that it would take some time to “correct” these problems, and that the government would prepare “a kind of guide” for citizens to report price distorsions that they feel break the law.

He declined to offer further information on Foreign Minister Diana Mondino’s announcement on Sunday that Argentina would accept an invitation to join the BRICS bloc. 

Adorni said that he would offer daily press conferences at 9 a.m. until further notice.