Lula government needs congressional approval to restructure ministries

The Provisional Measure (MP) for the restructuring of ministries, presented at the beginning of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s (PT) government, may not be approved in time. With difficulty in articulation, the federal government has until tomorrow (1st) to get the necessary approval in the Chamber and in the Senate and guarantee the organization in 37 folders, 31 ministries and 6 bodies with equal status.

The rapporteur of the matter, deputy Isnaldo Bulhões (MDB-AL) promoted a series of changes in the text during the debates in the joint commission that analyzed the MP, which has already provoked criticism by members of the Planalto. Among the changes in the original text, the structures of the Ministries of the Environment and Indigenous Peoples were mainly altered. The latter, for example, will lose the attributions related to the demarcation of indigenous lands, which will once again fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

In the mixed committee, the MP, with the amendments proposed by the rapporteur, received 15 votes in favor and 3 against. Now the MP still needs to be approved in the plenary of the Chamber and the Senate. If it is not approved, the structure of the federal government will again have the composition adopted during the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), that is, it will lose 17 ministries.

Emptying of folders created by Lula causes discontent

The changes made by the rapporteur were criticized by government supporters, who have already stated that they may go to the Federal Supreme Court (STF) against the changes. In a hearing at the Chamber of Deputies, the Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, defended the maintenance of the original text of the MP. However, according to the Minister of the Institutional Relations Secretariat, Alexandre Padilha, the changes proposed by the rapporteur will not make the Lula government’s work on the environmental and indigenous agenda unfeasible.

As for the minister, if Congress resumes the structure of the past government, it will be a bad sign for the world. “The windows of opportunities for the transition to a country of sustainability will be closed, which could even jeopardize the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union”, said Minister Marina.

According to the report approved by the joint commission, the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, commanded by Marina, will no longer be responsible for the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), which will be linked to the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services; and for basic sanitation systems, solid waste and water resources, which go to the Ministry of Cities.

Changes in the MP for the restructuring of ministries meet agribusiness demand

Agribusiness leaders have criticized, since the beginning of Lula’s government, the transfer of the National Supply Company (Conab) to the Ministry of Agrarian Development. After negotiations with the rapporteur, the Agricultural Parliamentary Front (FPA) guaranteed the transfer of some attributions related to Conab, causing them to be dealt with by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, to which the body previously belonged.

The restructuring of ministries caused concern and the president of the FPA said that there was no logic in the changes made by Lula. “We are concerned about important bodies that were within the Ministry of Agriculture and that should be there. Conab, which is the body that thinks about the Brazilian agro, which makes the plans, which sees the size of the harvest, how much insurance we will need, has to to be close to the Minister of Agriculture and the ministry’s team. There is no logic in this division”, said the president of the FPA, Pedro Lupion (PP-PR).

The clash between the government and Congress extends to other matters

The Lula government has faced a series of defeats in matters that need to be considered by the National Congress. In recent weeks, the government has faced, for example, the vote on the bill that deals with the time frame for the demarcation of indigenous lands. The issue is important for the government and represents an important defeat, since Lula recently promised to “demarcate the largest possible number of lands”.

After five months of government, Lula’s third term is already the administration with the highest number of parliamentary commissions of inquiry in such a short term of office. During the period, MST, January 8, Americanas and Apostas commissions were opened.

The Lula government was also defeated in an attempt to approve the Censorship Bill, whose vote ended up being postponed, and in the overthrow of the decrees that intended to change the Basic Sanitation Framework, approved in the Bolsonaro government.