Centrão uses clash over MPs to demand Lula’s amendments – 03/23/2023 – Politics

Leaders of the centrão have used the impasse over the rite of provisional measures in Congress to reinforce the message to the Palácio do Planalto of dissatisfaction with the political articulation of the government — the friction between the Chamber and the Senate over the analysis of the MPs has stopped proposals by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

The government is on its way to completing three months and, according to the top of the Chamber, there is still a lack of perspective for the start of the release of this year’s amendments. Amendments are funds for deputies and senators to send to works and projects in their electoral bases, with gains in electoral political capital.

The complaint is from members of parties such as PP and Republicans. But also from deputies from União Brasil, PSD and MDB – acronyms that have ministries in the Lula government. The message has been taken to interlocutors at the Planalto Palace.

Leaders recognize that this dissatisfaction contributes to the lack of resolution in the drawn-out battle between the Chamber and the Senate over MPs. The dispute has generated wear and tear for the government.

Allies of the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL) hope that Lula will have to enter into the articulation and negotiate a solution with the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG).

Without an agreement in Congress on the rite of MPs, the progress of these proposals sent by the government through MPs, such as the reorganization of the Esplanada and the re-encumbrance of fuels, is stuck.

This Thursday (23), Pacheco decided to install the mixed commissions for MPs and give up the attempt according to Lira, who criticized the decision. He said that this question of order “will not move a millimeter” in the Chamber and that the “damage will be for the current government”.

Pacheco wants to resume the model in which provisional measures go through a mixed commission before being voted on in the plenary sessions of the Chamber and, later, of the Senate. Another option defended by senators is that the MPs go, alternately, straight to the plenary of the Chamber or the Senate.

The Chamber rejected the agreement and wants the texts to start with the analysis of the deputies and only then go to the Senate. This gives more bargaining power to the Chamber, which would have the final say in voting on provisional measures.

The impasse in Congress raises the Planalto’s concern. With that, Chamber leaders want to take advantage of the moment to demand the unlocking of the amendments.

As shown to SheetCongress negotiated with the PT, amended the Budget and will have a record amount of amendments this year — R$ 46.3 billion for parliamentarians.

The high reserve for amendments, however, does not guarantee Lula a solid support base. Leaders of the Chamber claim that the relationship with the Planalto should only improve when the government accelerates the execution of these amendments.

In the Chamber, opposition and independent parties, such as PL, PP and Republicans, have a greater margin of influence than in the Senate.

The political alliances and distribution of positions made so far have been enough to consolidate support for Lula in the Senate — but not in the Chamber.

Members of the center of the Chamber say that the negotiations for the division of ministries favored the Senate and the top of the parties.

In an interview with Sheetthe leader of União Brasil, Elmar Nascimento (BA), had already expressed the dissatisfaction of the party that appointed three ministers in the government: Daniela Carneiro (Tourism), Juscelino Filho (Communication) and Waldez Góes (Integration).

However, the same sentiment is shared by members of the PSD, which has the ministries Carlos Fávaro (Agriculture), Alexandre Silveira (Mines and Energy) and André de Paula (Fisheries).

The PSD bench in the Chamber is said to be upset with one of the portfolios it received, that of Fisheries. In addition, deputies claim that the other nominations (Fávaro and Silveira) do not include most of the acronym.

The expectation of influential leaders is that the Planalto expedite the articulation so that deputies can begin to indicate where this year’s amendments will be applied, including the quota that was transferred to resources from Lula’s ministries.

At the end of last year, the STF (Federal Supreme Court) determined that the so-called rapporteur amendments are unconstitutional. There were BRL 19.4 billion reserved to be distributed by the top of Congress in political negotiations in 2023.

Faced with the Supreme Court’s decision, Lira, Pacheco and centrão leaders began to sew an agreement with Lula. In practice, the result is that Congress maintained control over all the money that would go to the amendments extinguished by the STF.

A part of the budget was used to inflate the individual amendments – which every deputy and senator is entitled to. The other slice passed into the hands of Lula’s ministries, but with a political agreement for Congress, especially the Chamber, to use as an amendment (despite the resources not having this stamp and the distribution not having transparency foreseen).