Pacheco is on the agenda for a project that could result in Lula’s 1st defeat in the Senate

The president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), an ally of the government, included in the House’s voting agenda this Wednesday (5) the draft legislative decree (PDL) that overturns part of the decrees issued on April 5 by the President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) with the intention of loosening the rules of the new sanitation framework.

The decision spells out the limits of Pacheco’s support for the Planalto, especially when it comes to important matters for the productive sector, and represents a warning to members of the government that the barrier in the Legislative House to prevent unpleasant projects coming from the Chamber has officially begun to give way.

The expectation of senators, even members of the government’s base, is for a comfortable approval of PDL 98/2023, proposed and approved on May 3 by the Chamber. The measure by the PT administration displeased political and economic circles, as it generated legal uncertainty in contracts and put billions of reais in announced investments at risk.

The overthrow of Lula’s decrees by the Chamber represented the government’s first major defeat in the House, by a score of 295 votes to 136 against. This movement was articulated by allies of the mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), and by the opposition.

Forwarded to the Senate, the text was processed by the Infrastructure Commission (CI), chaired by Confúcio Moura (MDB-RO), who was also its rapporteur. Lula’s ministers even participated in public hearings in an attempt – without success – to justify the gestures that, according to senators, trampled over the Legislature.

Pacheco signals resistance to the time frame of indigenous lands

The tendency now is for Pacheco’s barrier to remain raised practically only for the bill on the timeframe for the occupation of land by indigenous peoples, approved on May 30 by the Chamber of Deputies, after pressure from the agribusiness caucus.

According to political scientist Ismael Almeida, Pacheco’s recent statement – that the assessment of the time frame of indigenous lands (PL 490/07) will be done “without haste” – represents a resistance to guide the project that displeases the government. But, in his view, that would be the only case. Almeida argues that it is unlikely that Pacheco will put obstacles in the way of other proposals that would displease the Planalto. “In general, I don’t see any effort on the part of President Pacheco to cooperate with government supporters to block the so-called bomb agendas,” he said.

In addition, the expert emphasizes the commitment of the senator from Minas Gerais to conclude the votes related to the fiscal framework and tax reform, considering their importance for society, transcending government planning.

The tax reform is scheduled to be voted on this week by deputies, and the Senate is preparing to dedicate itself to it after the parliamentary recess. After decades on the political agenda and in Congress, the change in the country’s taxation system has a great chance of being enacted this year, according to Rodrigo Pacheco’s assessment. The president of the Senate said last week that he counts on “the common sense of the parliamentarians” to seize the opportune moment and approve the text.

In addition to supporting “broad consensus” initiatives, such as the fiscal framework and tax reform, Rodrigo Pacheco also included Bill 4,188/2021 on the voting agenda this Wednesday (5), which creates the Legal Framework for Guarantees.

The rapporteur, Senator Weverton (PDT-MA), made the last changes to the text to approve it at the Economic Affairs Committee (CAE), before taking it to the plenary. This proposal, presented by the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), is also of interest to the PT administration. The Ministry of Finance is betting on it to unlock credit. As the project comes from the Chamber and the senators must approve it with changes, it will return for a new analysis by the deputies.

Pacheco asks the Chamber to approve the bill of fake news

In a position more in line with Planalto, Pacheco demanded that the Chamber approve the project to regulate social networks, known as PL das Fake News. During a legal forum held in Lisbon last Wednesday (28), the senator pointed out that this initiative is a way of establishing regulations that combat disinformation, hatred and phenomena that constantly try to undermine democracy through social networks.

The text, whose rapporteur is Deputy Orlando Silva (PCdoB-SP), faces strong resistance in Congress, especially from the opposition, which argues that it constitutes an attack on freedom of expression. Another cooperation measure with the government is the initiative to invite the president of the Central Bank, Roberto Campos Neto, to appear before the Senate in August and explain the maintenance of the high basic annual interest rate (13.75%).

PT agenda of customs and interventionism is at a standstill

For the professor of Institutional Relations and Public Policy at Ibmec-DF, Arthur Wittenberg, the Chamber’s resistance to the government’s interventionist guidelines, both in terms of economy and customs, is also seen in the Senate.

“The difference, however, is that, by virtue of its very nature, the Senate is also more vigilant against federal imbalances. As long as it continues to support agendas aimed at improving average national productivity, the government should not face systematic opposition in the Senate, especially in the permanent committees on economic affairs (CAE) and regional development (CDR)”, he noted.