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Original article: “Va a afectar la continuidad del Poder Judicial”: presidenta de la Suprema por recorte del 3% ordenado por Kast

The President of the Supreme Court, Gloria Ana Chevesich, stated that the decision by José Antonio Kast ’s government to mandate a 3% budget cut across all ministries «will affect the continuity of the Judiciary.»

In an interview with 24Horas, Chevesich mentioned she will meet with Justice Minister Fernando Rabat and Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz to discuss the implications of this policy.

“This morning, I was notified that a letter from the Finance Minister indicated that we would also be impacted by a 3% budget cut. Naturally, I requested a financial report from the interim director of the Judicial Administrative Corporation to subsequently present to the Justice Minister, and then meet with the Finance Minister to explain how such a cut in a specific subsection of our budget will affect the continuity of the Judiciary,” she asserted.

When asked about the practical impact of this budget cut on people’s lives, the Supreme Court head highlighted the necessity of understanding «which subheadings will be affected.»

“If it affects subsection 21, which pertains to salary payments, we will certainly face challenges in providing our courts with the necessary resources. We will encounter complex issues in paying salaries and covering any temporary replacements, which will directly impact individuals who seek justice in our courts. My commitment to providing timely and quality responses will undoubtedly be compromised. We need to address this issue,” she explained.

Judge Chevesich emphasized her focus on assessing how the 3% cut will impact the Judiciary in order to take appropriate measures.

“I will dedicate myself to this issue; worrying does not solve anything. I must address it to attempt to overcome the situation by providing explanations, sharing the figures, and delivering the necessary information to potentially reverse this decision,” she emphasized.

Kast Orders 3% Budget Cut for All Ministries

It is important to note that the Finance Minister signed the directive last Monday, mandating that all ministries reduce their spending by 3% to save around US$3 billion from the fiscal budget.

Additionally, the Finance Ministry requested an extra effort to cut US$1 billion, aiming for an overall reduction of US$4 billion.

As detailed by Quiroz, each ministry must internally consider how to implement the budget cut within its financial structure.

“I just signed it; this is the same as we’ve previously stated, that the reduction is uniformly 3%, and each ministry must determine how to execute it,” explained the budget chief, as reported by Diario Financiero.

This initiative is part of the new government’s plan to achieve a total budget cut of US$6 billion over 18 months, as promised by the far-right president during his campaign.

Quiroz justified the decision by citing a supposed fiscal liquidity issue, which he claimed was inherited from the previous administration led by former President Gabriel Boric.

“The cash balance at the end of the previous administration was US$40 million as of December 31, 2025. Typically, cash balances in normal administrations range between US$3 billion and US$4 billion,” he stated, prompting a swift response from his predecessor, Nicolás Grau.

Through a social media post, Grau remarked, “I will not give interviews or sound bites, out of respect for the new authorities. Regarding the cash data in question: the last public figure is US$1.406 billion (late January; see attached photo), and the figure early this week (which fluctuates significantly) was around US$800 million.”

The former minister supported his post with an image showing updated fiscal figures, which quickly went viral as a refutation of the claims made by the current Finance Minister under Kast’s government.

La entrada Supreme Court President Warns 3% Budget Cut Could Threaten Judicial Continuity se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.