Brazilian Government Attacks ‘Centrão’ Deputies to Prevent Emergency Aid Increase

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Annoyed by Chamber President Rodrigo Maia, President Jair Bolsonaro launched an offensive to avert the risk of a change in the Provisional Measure which reduced the emergency aid from R$600 to R$300.

Speaking on Thursday, September 10th, the president of the Chamber of Deputies said that 82 percent of his social media support the maintenance of the R$600 (US$120) aid, a statement that was backed by deputies of the allied base.

To prevent the amount from being altered by the Legislative Branch, the Planalto Palace will monitor the social media of legislators, particularly those in the centrão (group of center and center-right political parties), to identify those who defend a figure higher than R$300.

The plan is for government leaders to personally seek out undecided legislators to reiterate the need to uphold the R$300 amount. By doing so, the President wants to avoid repeating the scenario of the first vote on the social benefit.

In March, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bolsonaro had proposed to Congress a monthly amount of R$200, but the House threatened to more than double the initiative to R$500. Under pressure, the President decided to raise the amount to R$600 to prevent a political defeat.

The R$600 aid was instrumental in bringing Bolsonaro to his peak in popularity since the inception of his administration.

For several days, he discussed with the Minister of Economy Paulo Guedes to reach an amount that would not harm him politically. On social media, he had already been urged not to reduce the aid amount.

On Thursday, September 10th, Bolsonaro sent Maia an indirect message. In his weekly live stream, he said he would not like to reduce the aid amount, but emphasized that if it were to be maintained at R$600, it would increase the country’s indebtedness.

“It’s not because I want to pay less, no. It’s because Brazil can’t afford to be in debt anymore. So, there won’t be a new extension [of the emergency aid], because indebtedness is growing too much. Brazil is losing confidence, the interest rates can grow and inflation may return,” he emphasized.

To support his allies in defending the R$300 figure, the Planalto also is preparing printed and audiovisual material on the impacts that a continued R$600 emergency aid would have on public accounts.

Bolsonaro listed the R$600 aid payment as one of the factors that pressured the rise in the price of rice. The product is already accumulating an increase of 19 percent this year and the trend is for it to rise even more.

According to the APAS (São Paulo Supermarkets Association), the product should suffer further hikes over the next two months if consumption keeps up at the current pace. The average price on São Paulo’s supermarkets is R$20, which may rise to around R$30.

Deputy pushing for R$600 asks critics to report where the job openings are found

Federal deputy André Janones (AVANTE/MG), founder of the movement 600 for Brazil, on Friday criticized those who advocate reducing the emergency aid amount – through MP (Provisional Measure) nº 1000, edited by President Jair Bolsonaro – to R$300, in lieu of the original R$600 benefit.

“People who are calling Brazilians who need the aid bums and lazy, and saying they don’t want to work, please report where these job openings are! Thank you,” wrote the legislator on his Twitter, in an ironic tone.

Janones, known for his support of the truckers’ strike, has been one of the main critics of Bolsonaro’s MP reducing the emergency aid. In an interview last Thursday, September 3rd, Janones stated that he believes Congress can reinstate the full aid amount. “I don’t believe that legislators will have the courage to stand up against the will of the great majority of the population. It is a necessity,” he said.

“I do believe that legislators will vote for the continuity of the benefit in its full amount. We perceive a greater involvement of the people in this matter. The agenda is in people’s interest. It is not for the left or right-wings, it is for the people who have to work to put food on the table,” he said.

Source: Folha de S.Paulo, Fórum