Thousands protested outside Argentina’s Congress on December 20, banging pots and waving the national flag as they rejected President Javier Milei’s signing of a deregulation decree to combat the country’s severe economic crisis.The president on Wednesday signed a decree outlining economic reforms including an end to limits on exports plus measures to loosen regulations. Earlier in the day, thousands took to the streets of Buenos Aires to protest the government’s austerity plans, led by representatives for the unemployed demanding more support for the poor.Since his inauguration on Dec. 10, Milei has pledged “shock” therapy for the economy including deep spending cuts in a bid to tame triple-digit inflation.Argentina’s poverty rate soared past 40% in the first half of this year.