RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro conceded to supporters on Monday, January 25th, that there are people “in need” because of the end of emergency aid, but reiterated that the government’s debt capacity “is at its limit” and extending the benefit is difficult.
“The word is emergency, not lasting. It is not for life, it is not a pension. I’m sorry, there are many people in need, but our capacity for indebtedness is at its limit,” said the President.
Directly asked if he would extend the aid or launch a new similar benefit, Bolsonaro did not rule out the option, merely saying that the matter is under discussion with Minister of Economy Paulo Guedes.
In his conversation with supporters, the President also complained of news that reported Brazil’s diplomatic rupture with India and China. “We solved everything in two days,” he said, in reference to the release of Chinese raw materials for the production of the CoronaVac in Brazil.