Opinion – Vinicius Torres Freire: Congress wants to be the boss of the Republic’s ruin

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The powerful centrão wants to decide the destination of 40% of the money from the federal budget that is still “free”. That is, 40% of the 5% left over from mandatory expenses. This is what can be seen from the beginning of the discussion of the budget laws that will define federal spending in 2023.

It is a business that will have even more serious political and economic consequences. It facilitates corruption and the even more inefficient use of budget resources.

This would be the portion of the Budget destined to fund mandatory parliamentary amendments (the Executive cannot say no, in general). The budget rapporteur, his boss and friends, benches, commissions and parliamentarians could stamp even more money to be used in small perforated expenses, local works and even concerts.

The leaders of the amorphous mass of parliamentarians from this indistinct jelly of parties that make up the majority of Congress (70%?) would have even more distorted power, so to speak.

Power over even more amendment money tends to create more vassals willing to vote on anything — it will be very difficult for the Executive to come up with “agendas” that are taken seriously, without business.

As can already be seen, people vote for the matroca: from tortoises of particular interest to the mere sabotage of Executive programs. The subliminal threat of impeachments or minor constraints on any authority of the Powers, including the Judiciary, continues.

The many laws of responsibility and fiscal limits were all demoralized: with a constitutional amendment or other type of norm every fortnight, any expenditure is approved, without any plan, in late-night scams, in explicit “hardcore” electoral fraud. It increases the government’s disrepute (ie, its cost of financing).

It is obvious that Congress must discuss budgetary priority and call authorities to the floor. But we don’t inhabit this republican fairy world. Mayors, groups of leaders, whatever the command of the amorphous mass, want more power to guarantee their re-election by funding their corrals to begin with.

As the Budget is increasingly constrained by mandatory expenditures, the Executive’s political power to convince the Executive is diminished — for example, by division of power. Privatizations and, for now, the SOE Law limit access to parastatal funds, let’s say. There remains the attack on companies such as Codevasf, a development agency in the interior of the north-central region disguised as a state-owned company, or the FNDE (National Fund for the Development of Education), not by chance the center of recent corruption scandals.

There is still the increasing capture of directors from regulatory agencies. Agencies do not have a big safe, but they are a place of bargaining opportunities with companies.

The centrão itself, led by the regents of Jair Bolsonaro, wants to increase its power in reaction to the idea of ​​Lula da Silva (PT) to limit parliamentary amendments. It is another evidence of where more and more the relevant political conflict of the degraded republic is.

The amendment money doesn’t seem like much: 40% of 5% is equivalent to 2% of the federal budget. But, as has already been noted, government spending is almost entirely stymied. The amount paid for amendments can be equivalent to three quarters of the investment expense, which is actually spent on “works”, purchases of equipment, etc.

This amorphous Congress, headed by booty managers, is more animated by the demoralization and objective weakening of the Presidency of the Republic. You become more independent for the worst reason. It goes the way of being an aggregation of negotiating parties, associated in a blackmail agency.

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