The leader of the Chamber, Pedro Uczai, stated that the changes determined by the minister of the (Supreme Federal Court) strengthen the president’s (PT) project that readjusts salaries and creates new bonuses for Legislative employees. House leaders take Planalto’s decision for granted and anticipate discomfort.
On Tuesday (3), bills that provide for a new bonus for Congress employees and create a compensatory leave allowance that allows the salaries of House employees to exceed the constitutional ceiling. The proposals aroused criticism, and allies began to advocate that Lula veto the texts.
On Thursday (5), Dino granted an injunction suspending payment for payments not provided for by law. The STF minister also determined that the three Powers, at national, state and municipal levels, review the amounts paid to public servants within three months. Anything that is not in law must be immediately suspended after the deadline.
Although Dino’s decision does not directly affect the Chamber’s case, because the suspension would be provided for by law, Uczai indicates that the injunction reinforces the idea of Lula’s veto of the proposal. “I think that, with Flávio Dino’s decision, the government has a lot of predisposition to veto it. I think it will veto it. I don’t know what the government’s position is, but that’s the tendency”, said the PT leader to Sheet.
The opinion is shared by more government leaders. Even members of the base, however, say that a possible veto by Lula will go down badly in the Chamber. Leaders from the left, the centrão and the opposition argue, behind the scenes, that a veto will be read as interference by Planalto in matters of Congress’s internal interest.
These leaders consider that, as the proposal approved by the Chamber will be absorbed by the Legislature’s own budget, the Executive would have no justification for vetoing it.
The PL leader, (RJ), praised Dino’s decision for “cutting his own skin” by suspending payments. “The Judiciary is where there are the most hang-ups.”
However, he believes it is necessary to “wait for more people from the Judiciary to speak out” before the Chamber moves to comply with the decision. “If the minister’s decision is the desire of the Judiciary in its majority, some congressmen will lose their fear and may cut corners, yes,” he said.
Dino demanded that Congress issue a law that regulates which compensation amounts could exceed the ceiling. According to him, the Legislature approved a PEC (proposed amendment to the Constitution) changing the constitutional text on the subject in 2024, but, a year later, the regulations on the matter have not been published.
Representative Mário Heringer (MG), leader of the PDT, said that the minister’s decision encourages a “review of public service”, but that he does not know whether the Chamber will issue the requested law.
Leader of the PSB, Jonas Donizetti (SP) assesses that it is still too early to assess the atmosphere in the Chamber after the decision, but points out that Dino “will have much more resistance within the Judiciary than in the other powers”.
“We comply with the court’s decision,” said the leader of the Republicans, Augusto Coutinho (Republicanos-PE).
The evaluation of the decision of the minister appointed by Lula by the STF plenary is scheduled for February 25th.
