Lula prioritizes Bolsonaro’s PL and Lira’s PP with amendments – 07/06/2023 – Power

The Lula government (PT) broke this Thursday (6th) a new record in the release of amendments on the eve of decisive votes in the National Congress. There were R$ 5.3 billion authorized now for projects, purchases and works in parliamentary constituencies.

The most benefited parties were the PL, of former president Jair Bolsonaro, and the PP, of the mayor, Arthur Lira (AL).

Lula has a fragile and insufficient support base in Congress, which is why he adopts give and take with funds and positions for deputies and senators in exchange for support in votes in both Houses, just as Bolsonaro did during his term (2019- 2022).

Despite the PL being in opposition to Lula, party members have been negotiating positions and amendments with the Planalto Palace since the beginning of the government. Presidential assistants have about 30 votes from the PL bench, which has 99 deputies, in voting on economic proposals.

PL deputies had been passed over in the release of amendments in the first six months of government — mainly those more linked to Bolsonarism.

With the proximity of the vote on the tax reform, which is Lira’s priority, the centrão demanded speed in the transfer of amendments. The PL, like the PP, is aligned with the mayor.

The values ​​were released on Wednesday (5) and surpass the previous record, of R$ 2.1 billion in a single day. In the week that concentrates relevant agendas for Lula in the Chamber, the government unlocked the transfers, which already amount to around R$ 7.5 billion.

The Lula government is facing a decisive week in the Chamber, with votes on the PL (law project) that deals with the resumption of the so-called casting vote in the CARF (Administrative Council of Fiscal Resources) and the project that creates a new fiscal framework, in addition to the reform tax.

In this Wednesday’s record batch, virtually all of the funds released originate from individual amendments. R$ 699.8 million were forwarded from nominations made by PL parliamentarians, and another R$ 660 million from PP deputies and senators.

The list of the most benefited follows with PSD (R$ 611.2 million), PT (R$ 562.3 million), MDB (R$ 543 million) and União Brasil (R$ 453.9 million). $5.2 billion are direct transfers to states and municipalities.

The state and municipalities of São Paulo concentrate the highest volume of transfers (R$ 530 million), followed by Bahia (R$ 494.5 million).

The 2023 Budget reserves BRL 36.5 billion in individual amendments, by state benches and by congressional thematic committees. Of this amount, R$ 15.1 billion were pledged until Tuesday and R$ 3.1 billion paid.

In the case of individual amendments, each deputy indicated the allocation of approximately R$ 32 million. The senators’ quota is higher, at R$59 million.

The government is obliged to forward these resources, but manages to control the pace of release of funds. As there is a quota for deputies and senators, the largest groups end up concentrating the amendments.

In addition to these resources, there is still the slice of R$ 9.85 billion that migrated to the government’s cash after the end of the rapporteur’s amendments.