The president of , (-PB), stated this Friday (19) that the relationship with the government () is one of ups and downs, but highlighted that it is “stabilized”, that the economic agenda was approved and that he maintains a respectful dialogue with the President of the Republic and his interlocutors, such as the minister and the government leader in the Chamber, José Guimarães (PT-CE).
“Like all relationships in our lives, and this is very natural, because each Power has its independence, each Power has its own way of acting, has its own internal dynamics. It is not written in the Constitution that one Power has to agree with the other on 100% of the points”, Motta told journalists.
Motta also spoke about the House’s relationship with the STF (Supreme Federal Court) and admitted having changed the procedure for analyzing the impeachment of Alexandre Ramagem (PL-RJ), from the plenary to the Board of Directors, in order to avoid new “institutional stress” with the Judiciary leadership.
The change in strategy occurred because of the imbroglio surrounding the impeachment, the previous week, of (PL-SP), who, like the former deputy, was sentenced by the STF to loss of mandate — the court’s understanding is that the Chamber has to comply with the impeachment, while Motta, at first, defended that the final decision would be made by the plenary and not by the Judiciary.
The relationship between the Lula government and Motta’s administration went through turbulent moments, such as the overturning of the IOF (Financial Operations Tax) decree, that of , (Republicans), as rapporteur of the anti-faction bill, the vote on the Dosimetry PL and the PEC (Proposed Amendment to the Constitution) of .
In the coffee with the press, the first since he took over as President of the Chamber in February, Motta commented that he does not need to agree with the government, just as the government did not agree with him every time, and that the relationship ends the year “stabilized and with the prospect of more dialogue” in 2026. “There are ups and downs, disagreements, but that respect has not been lost”, he minimized.
The change in the Chamber’s stance, which stops bets and fintechs and along with the cut in tax benefits, occurred due to the fact that the debate around the topic is “more mature”, according to him. “I think it was the maturity of Congress and the understanding of the moment to be voted on, of the party leaders, of the atmosphere in the House.”
Motta also defended that changing the Minister of Tourism could help governance, with support from União Brasil that wants to be with Lula. “I know Gustavo. He was a good secretary there in the state [Paraíba]has good political dialogue. The president was happy with his choice,” he said.
Gustavo Feliciano, son of deputy Damião Feliciano (União Brasil-PB), who is an ally of Motta, replaced this Friday (19).
He has avoided declaring support for a presidential candidate for now, justifying that he needs to avoid polarization to lead the Chamber. “Because if here now I announce support for A or B, everything I do from now on will be because I am in favor of A and against B, or in favor of B and against A”, he said.
He also said that he will honor the agreement with the PT for deputy Odair Cunha (PT-MG) to be elected minister of the TCU (Tribunal de Contas da União) in the vacancy that will open in February, but that he will listen to the leaders about the best time to hold the election.
Motta also rebutted the former president of the Chamber (PP-AL), his ally, who recently criticized his management in the PP bench’s WhatsApp group, after the House rejected the impeachment of deputy Glauber Braga (PSOL-RJ), a disaffected member of the deputy from Alagoas.
Lira, , stated that the management of the Chamber “is a mess” and that the House needs to be reorganized. Motta responded that he always had a friendly relationship with the former president and that he continues to have a respectful relationship, but tried to make differences.
“I don’t agree with the criticisms. I also don’t know if what he said that day was taken out of context. This was a much greater reading made by those who saw the messages there,” he said. “It’s natural for there to be disagreement. Everyone has their own style, everyone has their own way of acting, everyone has their own way of behaving, everyone has their own way of making a decision,” he stated.
Despite the criticism, Motta declared that he always seeks to learn and improve from it, and shared responsibility for what happened in 2025 with the group of party leaders. “The position of the president of the Chamber is always taken in agreement and with the support of the group of leaders […] So I share the mistakes and successes with the school”, he declared.
In relation to the Judiciary, Motta also stated that he seeks institutional dialogue and argued that it is the role of the (Supreme Federal Court) to order investigations against parliamentarians.
“The Chamber has no commitment to protecting what is not correct. The Chamber of Deputies does not have this role, much less the president,” he said. “When we have a colleague who is the target of any action by the Judiciary, whatever it may be, we are not happy about it. Nobody is happy about it. But the Judiciary is fulfilling its role”, he declared.
Despite defending this function, Motta stated that it is necessary to “establish a line” against exaggerations, but avoided saying what they would be. He argued, however, that one cannot generalize criticism of parliamentary amendments to the Budget
“We have no commitment to those who do not work correctly with the amendment. But I am also completely sure that the vast majority of representatives in the Chamber of Deputies, the federal deputies, work correctly with the amendment”, he said.
