CHILE · BUDGET
Chile’s lower house finished voting on the 2027 national budget in the early hours of Friday 13 November 2026 and sent it to the Senate. The marathon session ran past midnight, and at least six ministry sections fell, several of them on tied or one-vote results.
For a US reader the clock matters more than any single line: Congress must pass a budget by Sunday 29 November, or the government’s original text becomes law. That sets up a short Senate fight over mining, education and interior funds.
Key Facts
- What Chile’s Chamber of Deputies finished voting the 2027 budget bill early Friday 13 November and sent it to the Senate.
- Rejected At least six sections failed: Interior, Education, Mining, Government Secretariat, Women and Culture.
- Security Public Security gets about 3.49 trillion pesos (about US$3.5 billion), 7% more than in 2026.
- Deadline Congress must finish by Sunday 29 November, or the government’s original text applies.
- Next The government can try to restore rejected funds in the Senate; any change returns to the Chamber.
- Power Index Chile ranks 3rd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 62.9 points (November 2026 edition).
What the Chamber of Deputies Decided
The Chamber of Deputies, Chile’s lower house, completed the vote before dawn on Friday, according to Pauta, a Chilean news site (13 November 2026). Deputies approved the Health section by 82 votes to 41 and restored money for the day-to-day costs of primary care.
The Public Security section, which funds the Carabineros national police, the investigative police and the prison service Gendarmería, comes to about 3.49 trillion pesos (about US$3.5 billion at about 995 pesos per dollar, in line with the 12 November close). That is 7% more than in 2026, and it includes Gendarmería for the first time because the prison service moved from the Justice Ministry.
Deputies also voted to raise funding for the Ricarte Soto Law, which pays for very costly diagnoses and treatments. The government filed a constitutional reservation, a formal objection, against that change.
Which Budgets Failed, and Why It Matters
At least six sections were rejected: Interior, Education, Mining, the Government Secretariat (the government spokesperson’s ministry), Women and Gender Equity, and Culture. Interior, Education and Mining fell after tied votes, while Women and Culture each lost by a single vote.
A rejected section is not deleted: it goes to the Senate, where the government can try to restore the money. Mining’s spending is the line US copper investors will watch, because Chile is the world’s largest copper producer, and we reported the Chamber’s general approval vote of 80 to 63 on 9 November.
What Happens Next in the Senate
The constitution gives Congress 60 days from filing to pass the budget, and this bill was filed on 30 September. DIPRES, Chile’s budget office, confirms that the president’s original text takes effect if Congress misses that limit, which falls on Sunday 29 November.
If the Senate approves changes, they must go back to the Chamber of Deputies, Pauta reported. The Chamber also rejected the article that lets the government borrow up to US$25 billion, El Periodista, a Chilean news site, reported, and the Senate can restore it too.
What It Means for You
For an investor or business with Chilean exposure, nothing is settled: the rejected lines can still be restored, and the final figures will come from the Senate and, if needed, a joint Chamber-Senate committee. The first Senate votes on Mining and Education will show how much of the Chamber’s pushback survives.
What Is Not Known
We could not confirm how the Senate will treat the rejected sections or whether the government will file amendments to restore them. The date of the Senate’s first vote on the bill was not confirmed in the sources we could open.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Chile’s Chamber of Deputies decide on 13 November?
It finished voting the 2027 budget bill in the early hours and sent it to the Senate. At least six ministry sections were rejected along the way.
Which budget sections were rejected?
Interior, Education, Mining, the Government Secretariat, Women and Gender Equity, and Culture. Interior, Education and Mining fell on tied votes.
When must Chile’s Congress pass the budget?
Within 60 days of filing. The bill was filed on 30 September, so the limit is Sunday 29 November, after which the president’s original text applies.
Does the rejection of a section cut that ministry’s money?
Not yet. The section moves to the Senate, where the government can try to restore the funds, and any change returns to the Chamber.
Sources: Pauta, 13 November 2026; DIPRES, budget cycle page; El Periodista, 13 November 2026; market rate of 12 November 2026 for the peso conversion; Chile news at The Rio Times.
In depth
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error