Deputies spend R$ 24 million on self-advertising

Deputy Rubens Pereira Júnior (PT-MA) spent BRL 180,000 on “dissemination of parliamentary activity” – 80% of his budget. In total, federal deputies have already spent R$ 24 million on self-advertisement. Adding expenses with airline tickets, fuel, office space, meals, car rentals and even planes, the taxpayer’s bill is already at R$ 72 million. Deputy Antônia Lúcia (Republicanos-AC) invested R$ 108,000 in flights across the interior of the state. Who squandered the most was Ruy Carneiro (PSC-PE), who spent R$ 257 thousand in five months – R$ 170 thousand of which on publicity.

The propaganda of the mandate involves publicizing the activities of the deputies in social networks, newspapers, radios and televisions. There is also the purchase of spaces in communication vehicles, with the right to a receipt. They register their presence in the delivery of equipment and works made with funds from their parliamentary amendments – all public money. Photos next to Lula and Ministers of State are highly valued, even on Bolsonaristas websites. There is also photo next to the Eiffel Tower.

Spending per party is proportional to the size of the bench. Considering the average value per deputy, the PP was the most spender, with an average of R$ 150 thousand. In second place, the PCdoB, with BRL 149 thousand per deputy. In PT, the average reached R$ 143 thousand. The PL was R$ 135 thousand. Novo spent the least, with BRL 51,000 per deputy.

The Champion of Self Promotion

Deputy Rubens Júnior’s main expense was hiring a company to provide “communication services” – R$ 33,000 per month on average. The company earned R$ 168 thousand. In April, the deputy paid BRL 2,000 for the publication of “journalistic articles” about parliamentary actions in Jornal Pequeno, a print newspaper “with wide circulation in the capital”, said the deputy. In May, he hired another company, for BRL 35,000, for tasks such as press relations, communication strategy development and media training.

On social networks, Rubens Júnior recorded, on March 25, that he was in Paço do Lumiar (MA) to participate in the “delivery of benefits to the population”, in this case, the paving of the streets of the community of Pau Deitado. He posed for photos with dozens of residents in front of City Hall machinery.

Deputy José Nelto (PP-GO) made another bet. He prefers to spend his account on printing and distributing the congressman’s newsletter. It has already printed R$321,000 copies for a total value of R$158,000 – an average of R$26,000 per month. But he also uses social media. On April 18, he warned: “I sent Pires do Rio a wheel loader at the request of Mayor Cida. The equipment was acquired through our mandate as a federal deputy with the federal government”. In time, the money belongs to the Union, resulting from taxes paid by the taxpayer.

Deputy Adail Filho (Republicanos-AM) was part of a delegation of parliamentarians to Paris to participate in the Working Group on Tax Reform at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). On social networks, he made a post to record the visit: “An unforgettable trip that brought a lot of learning to our work here in Brazil”.

PL deputy seeks ministers of Lula

Ruy Carneiro (PSC-PB) spent BRL 170,000 on promotion. He has a press office and promotes himself on social networks. But it also pays for publicizing its parliamentary activity on websites in Paraíba. The value varies from R$ 1 thousand to R$ 1.5 thousand. In five months, he distributed BRL 81,000 to around 18 blogs.

Former president of the Senate, deputy Eunício Oliveira (MDB-CE) returned to parliament for the Chamber. He used the entire advertising budget to hire Carnaúba Assessoria de Comunicação, totaling R$ 159,000. The company produces notes on the deputy’s actions for the press. It also operates on social networks, Fecebok, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and Tik Tok. The deputy is very active. On June 8, he participated in the Cavalgada and Festa do Vaqueiro in Morada Nova (CE). Through the networks, he highlighted: “I am very proud of having fought and guaranteed the regulation of the cowboy profession and the practice of vaquejada, doing justice to the people of our hinterland”.

João Maia’s (PL-RN) publicity expenses totaled R$ 158 thousand. He hired a communication company to produce content for social networks. But he also paid R$90,000 to press vehicles to publicize his mandate. A member of former president Jair Bolsonaro’s party, he prominently posted photos on social media of meetings with ministers from the Lula government, such as Carlos Fávaro (Agriculture), Waldez Góes (Regional Development) and Juscelino Filho (Communications).

Expenses with planes

Apart from publicity expenses, some expenses with chartering planes are also impressive. Deputy Antônia Lúcia (Republicanos-AC) spent R$ 108,000 on aircraft rentals in April. Flights from Rio Branco to Xapuri, Feijó and Cruzeiro do Sul, on March 31st and April 1st cost R$62,000. The flight from the capital to Jordão, Tarauacá and Manoel Urbana, in a King Air, cost R$46,000.

Átila Lins (PSD-AM) spent BRL 95,000 on four flights. In March, he was in Boa Vista and Lábrea, at a cost of R$ 44,000. In May, he traveled from Manaus to Barreirinha on a Calavan turboprop; and to Nova Olinda in an amphibious turboprop Caravan, for a total of R$ 41,000. According to the representative’s advisory, he rents aircraft because many cities in the Amazon are not accessible by road. It would be the only way to make contact with voters in these regions.

“The purest representation of democracy”

Deputy Rubens Júnior sent a note to the blog to justify the expenses with publicity: “The parliamentary mandate is the exercise of the purest representation of our democracy. Investments in publicizing parliamentary activities are not self-promotion, but an essential accountability tool. It is licit, within the legal provisions, within the limits allowed by the Chamber of Deputies. Our mandate has an intense activity and high productivity and, therefore, it needs to be accountable to the population. We cannot criminalize politics”.

Deputy Maria do Rosário affirmed her mandate “has the commitment to act in a transparent and responsible manner in the management of public resources. evaluated to ensure efficient performance, always aiming at the good use of public resources”.

Eunício stated to the blog that “Expenditures are within the legality and the most correct rendering of accounts”.

who spent the most