RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro’s new social program should be called ‘Renda Cidadã’ (Citizen Income), according to the rapporteur of the Proposal for Constitutional Amendment (PEC) of the so-called Federative Pact, Senator Márcio Bittar (MDB-AC).
This bill makes room in the federal budget for increased spending. The Renda Cidadã should replace and expand the Bolsa Família (Family Grant), created during the PT (Workers’ Party) administration, which serves some 14 million families at an annual cost of R$32 billion (US$6 billion).
According to Bittar, President Bolsonaro on Wednesday granted him the authorization to create the new program and to include its source of funding in the report. The measure was also settled with all leaders of the President’s supporting party base in the Chamber of Deputies and Senate, after recent meetings.
“I can say that I am authorized to close the report and indicate the source of funds for the new program. This was agreed with the President and all leaders,” said Bittar.
He did not want to anticipate the source of funding but says spending will need to be cut to make room for approximately R$30 billion in order to include ten million families in the program. The figure will hinge on the amount of benefit these people will be granted. According to sources, Bolsonaro would like to maintain the new emergency aid amount of R$300, which ends in December.
Both in the executive branch and in the legislature, the orientation is not to elaborate on the new program in order not to raise alarm, after interviews with the Special Secretary of Treasury, Wadery Rodrigues, stating that among the alternative sources of funding would be the freezing of pensions.
Bolsonaro denied that he would take from the poor to give to the very poor and banned government officials from talking about the former project Renda Brasil (Brazil Income), which had been under consideration as a substitute for the Bolsa Família. He also denied that he would make changes in the PIS (Social Integration Program) salary bonus.
Source: O Globo