Understand MP that walls Lula and empowers centrão – 05/30/2023 – Politics

Faced with the fear that the provisional measure that restructures the Esplanada dos Ministérios will be altered or, at worst, lose its validity, political articulators in the Lula government (PT) are working to keep the text approved last week in a joint committee in Congress unchanged. .

In this MP, Congress disfigured a series of attributions linked especially to environmental and indigenous issues. Members of the government, however, claim that it could already be considered a “victory” if the text approved by the Chamber is the same as the one considered by the mixed committee.

The original MP was edited by Lula right at the beginning of the government with the new organization of the Esplanada. It was she who increased, for example, the number of ministries from 23 to the current 37.

The text will be appreciated in the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies this Tuesday (30) and will still need to pass through the Senate – the MP expires on Thursday (1st).

UNDERSTAND THE ESPLANADA MP AND THE CONTROVERSIES AROUND IT

1) What is the provisional measure? The MP for the Esplanada dos Ministérios was signed by Lula during his inauguration, in order to reorganize the top echelon and its functions —the PT increased the number of ministries from the 23 of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) to the current 37 and distributed some functions to the new holders.

The MP basically defines the organization of the federal government, which also interferes with the competences of each ministry, and, therefore, how far a portfolio can execute in terms of public policy.

2) When does the act expire? The provisional measure lasts for 60 days, with an extension for another 60. Lula signed the reorganization of the Esplanada on January 1, the day of his inauguration in government, but it only started to be processed in February, when the parliamentary recess ended. With that, it must be voted until this Thursday (1st) or it will lose its effects.

The mixed commission for analyzing the measure approved the report last Wednesday (24). The text must now be voted by the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, to become permanent.

3) What are the controversies surrounding the reorganization? The rapporteur for the provisional measure and leader of the MDB in the Chamber, federal deputy Isnaldo Bulhões Jr. (AL), dehydrated the government’s environmental policy — competences of bodies that are currently with the Environment and Indigenous Peoples will be transferred to other portfolios.

He also empowered ministries with centrão parties, which will have more functions under his purview. Marina Silva (Rede), holder of the Environment, is the one who loses the most attributions, while fighting an internal dispute over the exploration of the mouth of the Amazon River by Petrobras.

Marina will lose some information systems on basic sanitation, solid waste and water resources to the Ministry of Cities. He will also no longer command the ANA (National Water Agency), moved to Regional Development, and the CAR (Rural Environmental Registry), transferred to the Ministry of Management.

4) Why did the Lula government give up reverting the changes and assimilate the defeat? During the negotiations on the MP, the Lula government acted to try to avoid defeats in priority areas and ended up giving approval for the dehydration of Marina Silva’s ministry.

Although ministers Rui Costa (Casa Civil) and Alexandre Padilha (Secretary of Institutional Relations) have stated that they would act in Parliament to return functions to the Ministries of the Environment and Indigenous Peoples, the assessment of allies is that any attempt to modify the MP would increase the risk of it losing its validity.

This is because the mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), considers that the proposal was widely debated and is not willing to give in on changes.

Opposition and centrão deputies sent messages to the Planalto Palace that there is dissatisfaction and that they can use the MP vote to wall the government. They mainly complain about the delay in releasing amendments, in addition to the slowness in appointments to regional positions.

According to reports from allies, since last week the mayor has been sending the message to Planalto that the MP runs the risk of not being voted on and losing effect if the government insists on trying to change devices already approved in the commission.