President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) will hammer out the format of the Transition PEC (proposed amendment to the Constitution) this Thursday (10), said the former governor of Piauí and senator-elect. Wellington Dias (PT), transition representative in the 2023 Budget negotiations.
According to him, an afternoon or evening meeting should be held in the presence of Lula to decide on the details of the proposal.
Shortly after, when leaving the CCBB (Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil), seat of the transition of government, the president-elect stated that the text of the PEC “maybe [quinta]🇧🇷
as showed the Sheet, the idea of removing all spending on Auxílio Brasil (which should be called Bolsa Família) from the spending ceiling gained strength in recent days, a fiscal rule that limits the growth of expenses to the variation of inflation. The change would leave an expense of BRL 175 billion off the ceiling, while the BRL 105.7 billion currently reserved for the social program would be redistributed to other areas that are at risk of blackout.
The text of the PEC needs to be closed soon so that it can be formally presented to Congress and begin processing. It is from there that amendments to the Budget proposal will be made —the deadline for submitting these changes ends on Monday (14).
The Transition PEC is considered necessary to guarantee the continuity of the minimum benefit of R$ 600 from Bolsa Família from January onwards. The expense to ensure this value amounts to R$ 157 billion. The PT also promises an extra share of BRL 150 per child up to six years of age in the social program, at a cost of BRL 18 billion.
Dias avoided confirming whether the format should really be the withdrawal of Bolsa Família from the spending ceiling. “This part is that we’re going to have to really hit the hammer with him [Lula]”, said.
There is also a question about the duration of the expense exclusion from the spending ceiling. Members of the new government wanted a permanent withdrawal, but were warned by members of the CMO (Mixed Budget Committee) about the risk. The suggestion is that the measure be limited to a period of up to four years.
The senator-elect stated that the tendency is to bet on the PEC to solve the billionaire hole in the Budget – indicating a lower propensity of the PT to bet on the “plan B” suggested by the TCU (Union Court of Auditors), to use extraordinary credits for MP (measure provisional), without the need for prior approval from Congress.
He also said that the proposal should begin to pass through the Senate. The rite of voting for a constitutional amendment is simpler in the House.
Senator Marcelo Castro (MDB-PI) is quoted to be the rapporteur of the PEC, since he is also the general rapporteur of the 2023 Budget. The accumulation of the two rapporteurs would facilitate the negotiations.
Castro participates this Thursday in Lula’s meeting with parliamentarians from the elected government’s allied benches.
Upon arriving at the CCBB, the MDB senator said that the rapporteurship is a choice of the Senate president, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), and that he has not yet been formally sought to occupy the post.
Castro stressed that the process in the Senate is faster for the approval of the Transition PEC. In the Chamber, according to him, the text would be attached to PEC 24, which has deputy Tabata Amaral (PSB-SP) as rapporteur. The measure helps to speed up, since the normal procedure would require consideration by the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission) and the special commission.
The proposal, authored by deputy Luisa Canziani (PTB-PR), proposes to increase the financial autonomy of federal educational institutions, removing their expenses from the scope of the spending ceiling.
The senator said that he awaits a meeting later this Thursday to agree on the final details of the change in the Budget, which depend on the format of the PEC. He also stated that he awaits the final presentation of the text after the approval of President-elect Lula to the team coordinated by Alckmin.
Castro indicated that he was indifferent to the model chosen by the transition team, whether an exclusion from the entire Bolsa Família or a nominal exceptionalization of R$175 billion in expenses.
“I think it’s changing six for half a dozen. If you’re going to have space for R$ 175 billion, the exceptionality of the R$ 175 billion ceiling is just as important,” he said.
He highlighted, however, that the priority of recomposing resources is for the social area. “We would have budget space of R$ 105 billion to be filled, with those demands, Popular Pharmacy, up-to-date health, school meals, investment, which are very dear to the new government”, he said.
According to interlocutors heard by the Sheetthe exclusion of the entire Bolsa Família from the ceiling is seen as the most viable from a technical and political point of view and has a “high probability” of being chosen by the new government.
The PT party still does not have a solid base of support in the National Congress, but a PEC (proposed amendment to the Constitution) with this content would hardly face resistance.
Even parliamentarians from the PP and Republicans, parties aligned with President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), say that Congress will not vote against a proposal that provides more money to poor families. The political cost of rejecting a sealed measure to expand cash transfers is considered very high.
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