After the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, stated that the ministers of the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) are , the Minister of Social Security, Carlos Lupi, stated that he will leave the administration if the initiative achieves social security benefits.
In a newspaper interview The GlobeMinister Lupi said he defended the taxation of large fortunes to guarantee fiscal balance. “I want to discuss taxation of great fortunes. (Fernando) Haddad (Minister of Finance) is even proposing this. Those who have to donate something in this process are those who have a lot, not those who have nothing”, argued the minister.
Lupi argued his position, emphasizing that his ministry’s expenses “cannot be cut”. “How are you going to get Social Security? The average salary for people is R$1,860. What am I going to do with this? Take away acquired rights? Don’t count on me. Will I lower my salary? Don’t count on me. Will I no longer earn real income (at the minimum wage)? Don’t count on me. If that happens, I cannot stay in government”, said the minister during the interview.
Lupi avoided answering the question about the size of the spending cut that the government had requested from the Ministry of Social Security and signaled that it must “tighten irregularities”. “We are making big savings by giving people who are no longer entitled to sick leave. If a guy had an illness and got cured, how can he continue to have a license?”, said the minister.
According to him, more than half of the requests sent to the Ministry are for sickness benefits. “Is Brazil this sick?” asked the Minister of Social Security.
SEE ALSO:
- “There is consensus on compliance with fiscal rules”, says Haddad about spending cuts
Licensed president of PDT, Lupi rules out federation with PSDB
In addition to the spending cut, Minister Lupi was questioned by the newspaper The Globe about negotiations around possible federations involving his party, the PDT. He ruled out the possibility of a federation with the PSDB, but suggested that there are others that are more promising.
Lupi classified a federation with PDT, PSB, Cidadania, PV and Rede as “a strong team” and suggested that it would have the “size of the MDB” with a chance of keeping current vice-president Geraldo Alckmin in the race for re-election in 2026.”[A federação] Can you guarantee the permanence of vice-president Alckmin (as vice-president)? Everything is possible. He was governor of São Paulo three times, he is not a discarded name. Will the candidate be Lula? It’s likely, but is it? And who will be the opponents? It’s too early to define” said Lupi.
Lula’s minister also said that the PDT will never be with what party founder Leonel “Brizola called the worm-eaten right, today represented by Bolsonaro.” However, he was not categorical when answering whether the party should support Lula in his quest for re-election, indicating that they can work to “build an alternative”. “In today’s picture, Lula is the strongest candidate in our field. Will he continue to be so in 2026? Maybe yes, maybe not.”
