Just six months into his term, we're running out of accolades for Argentinian President Javier ' El Loco' Milei, but as long as he keeps governing the way he campaigned -- a.k.a, by taking a chainsaw to wasteful and pointless government agencies -- we'll keep a Thesaurus handy to congratulate him even more.
In March, Milei announced plans to fire 70,000 government workers. By April, he had already fired more than 24,000, and all recent signs indicate that he has every intention of following through on his promise.
The latest agency to feel the chainsaw's cut? Argentina's Ministry of Women, Genders, and Diversity.
BREAKING: Argentina President Javier Milei has announced that he has fully closed down what remains of the Ministry of Women, Genders, and Diversity. pic.twitter.com/LVoPhii1mn
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) June 9, 2024
The agency had already been downgraded from a full ministry to an undersecretariat as Milei had fired more than 14,000 government workers back in March. But on June 6, the remaining employees learned that their services would no longer be required by the government of Argentina.
Naturally, this has infuriated the left worldwide, including their media apparatus like The Guardian:
Javier Milei, Argentina’s far-right president, is poised to dissolve the government department responsible for tackling gender violence, prompting a furious backlash from human rights activists.
Claudia Barcia, the head of the undersecretariat for protection against gender violence, resigned on Thursday with a warning that the agency will soon be shuttered. 'The Undersecretary of Protection against Gender Violence … will cease to exist.'
'We are faced with a total hollowing out of policies for the prevention of gender-based violence,' said the department’s workers, who originally numbered 600 but have been slashed to 200, in a statement.
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Of course, there's only one problem with that. It's not true.
The ministry has been canned because those essential functions were already being handled by another agency, according to the Buenos Aires Herald.
The ministry has decided that all of the ex-undersecretariat’s tasks will now be handled by the human rights secretariat under Alberto Baños, sources confirmed to the Herald.
'The missions and programs that were under the Undersecretariat for Protection against Gender-based Violence will continue according to legal dispositions and conventional mandates,' a human rights secretariat source said.
The Human Rights Secretariat published a communiqué on Thursday afternoon saying the closure was due to a 'clear overlap of functions between different government agencies,' explaining that due to 'upkeep costs' the government had decided to 'make service more efficient.'
It sounds like Milei is doing exactly what he said he would do: eliminate waste and useless DEI functions in government. And people are loving him for it.
This dude is AWESOME https://t.co/KccUFRtJl3
— Chaya Raichik (@ChayaRaichik10) June 9, 2024
Javier Milei continues to crush it.
— Billboard Chris 🇨🇦🇺🇸 (@BillboardChris) June 9, 2024
He just shut down the Ministry of Women, Genders, and Diversity.
Make government small again! https://t.co/4Fj7Zk8HVp
Vamos! https://t.co/KbAJlz28zj
— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) June 9, 2024
If he follows through on his promises, I want to marry him. https://t.co/M39CATGK5o
— Texas Darlin' 🎀 🏈 (@TexitDarling) June 8, 2024
We get it. We really do. And hey, Milei IS single so ... who knows?
Promises made, promises kept.
— YungMaga (@MAGAmutiny) June 9, 2024
The Argentines don’t know how lucky they are to have him!
Some of them do. According to recent polling, his approval in Argentina is right around 50 percent. But here's the best part. Among young people (you know, the ones we're told care the MOST about 'gender, diversity, and inclusion'), Milei has an approval rating of 65 percent.
Wow.
Can we trade Presidents? https://t.co/Pi84eabxHc
— Nick Searcy, INSURRECTIONAL FILM & TELEVISION STAR (@yesnicksearcy) June 9, 2024
In addition to his cuts across ALL areas of government, Milei ... ahem ... has the advantage of not being senile.
I am for taking the entire budget of every executive department and offer it as a signing bonus to this guy. https://t.co/emNxxKSMVQ
— Cardinal Curmudgeon (@Gimblin) June 9, 2024
https://t.co/KJNPowdhsQ pic.twitter.com/prYG7zSVvh
— Mr Crumbsworth (@MrCrumbsbody) June 9, 2024
Not even a little bit.
How will Argentina survive without a Ministry of Women, Genders, and Diversity? https://t.co/3JzO80LVXK
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) June 9, 2024
It's a mystery. But somehow, we're thinking Argentina will not only survive, but begin to prosper again.
Pure winner! We need dudes like this in every country! https://t.co/veqsCzdnd9
— mark joseph (@markjos05095724) June 9, 2024
https://t.co/MctiNb8hib pic.twitter.com/r3UUQouA2w
— Dick Bertram (@Dastardlyb247) June 9, 2024
Yeah, we get that reaction too.
This is the way! https://t.co/QYEhd4NxVH
— Sarah (@SarahTheBanned) June 9, 2024
A proper thing to do to celebrate pride month.
— Free ⭐️ Patriot 🇺🇸 Artist (@Freedom4us4all) June 9, 2024
HA. Yes, the timing couldn't be better.
I would have renamed them the Ministry's of Hate- and THEN closed them down.
— jon charles baker (@paulkeres155) June 9, 2024
We LOVE that idea too.
Maybe our favorite part of this story, though, is how The Guardian tried to fearmonger about some of Milei's other promises.
The libertarian president is openly anti-feminist and has faced regular criticism over women’s rights issues. In his first six months as president he has banned gender-inclusive language across the public sector, and described abortion as 'aggravated murder.'
LOL. Awesome. We already love him, Guardian. You don't have to keep selling him to us.
We should never, ever idol worship politicians…
— Will Kingston (@WillKingston) June 9, 2024
…but geez it’s hard not to with Milei. https://t.co/OuXDcsRrpn
We agree with 100 percent of the first half of that tweet.
But whoo boy, Javier Milei is really tempting us in that second half too.
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