The Chamber of Deputies postponed the vote on the proposed amendment to the Constitution (PEC) that makes up the federal government’s spending cut package.
The text began to be analyzed on Wednesday (18), but the President of the House, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), suspended the session at around 11:30 pm. The analysis will resume this Thursday (19).
Behind the scenes, the postponement was seen as an appeal by the government to prevent the text from being defeated. So that the processing of the project could be accelerated, guaranteeing the analysis of the PEC this week, without the text going through thematic committees, Lira, which was ready for analysis by the plenary.
The deputies needed to vote a highlight so that the text prepared by the rapporteur, Moses Rodrigues (União-CE), replaced that of the PEC of 2007.
The item was approved by 294 votes to 172. The score was seen as a thermometer for the government, as the main text needs at least 308 votes in two rounds to be approved.
If the project is approved by the Chamber, the text will go to the Senate for analysis. The proposal is part of the government’s package to reduce spending and achieve the fiscal target.
The economic team’s expectation is that the texts will be approved by the end of this year, before the parliamentary recess, which begins on December 23. In total, the economic team estimates a cut of around R$70 billion by 2026.
The project
Among other points, the project limits the payment of super salaries for civil servants. According to the original article sent by the government, the granting of compensation funds that exceeded the ceiling of R$44,000 could only be made possible through a complementary law approved by Congress.
Rapporteur Moses Rodrigues changed the text, determining that payment be made possible by ordinary law. In practice, the change allows the analysis of the project that will authorize super salaries to be approved more easily.
This is because ordinary law bills need a smaller quorum than complementary bills to be approved. Furthermore, Moses’ text also determines that the payment of compensation funds will not be limited until the law is approved by Congress.
Fundeb
Moses also relaxed another point in the text sent by the government.
Initially, the proposal provided for the Union to apply at least 20% of tax collection to the Fund for the Maintenance and Development of Basic Education and Valorization of Education Professionals (Fundeb), to enable actions to promote the creation and maintenance of enrollments in full time in public basic education.
Moses’ text reduced the percentage to 10%. Furthermore, the rapporteur defined that, from 2026, at least 4% of Fundeb will be allocated to creating full-time enrollments in basic education, until the goals established by the National Education Plan are achieved.
Other points
Another point in the text deals with the granting of the salary bonus. According to the proposal, from 2026, the concession will be adjusted for inflation, until it reaches one and a half minimum wages.
The project also authorizes the Executive to reduce or limit, when drafting budget laws, expenses for granting subsidies, grants and benefits of a financial nature.
