Deputies allied with the president (PT) arrived in Washington this week in an attempt to expand dialogue with Democratic parliamentarians and present an alternative narrative to that taken by the senator (-RJ) and the former federal deputy.
The mission takes place at a time of tension in bilateral relations. Initially, the trip was scheduled for parliamentarians to discuss the importance of . However, the meeting took on new developments after the matches against Brazil. The deputies’ mission was organized together with the WBO (Washington Brazil Office).
Last week, the Americans classified the criminal factions (Primeiro Comando da Capital) and Comando Vermelho, a measure that, in the Brazilian government’s opinion, could generate economic impacts.
Furthermore, investigations announced by the American government could result in tariffs of up to 37.5% on Brazilian products. Amid this scenario, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated this week that Brazil is not among the countries considered “friendly” to the United States.
In the delegation are federal deputies (PC do B-RJ), Pedro Uczai (PT-SC), Pedro Campos (PSB-PE) and (Rede-MG). According to them, the trip seeks to strengthen dialogue channels with Democratic congressmen and international organizations, in addition to presenting proposals for bilateral cooperation in areas such as combating , financial intelligence and international arms trafficking.
Although the agenda only includes meetings with representatives from the Democratic field, the parliamentarians said they had requested a meeting with the State Department, led by Rubio, but were still awaiting a response.
In an interview with journalists this Wednesday (3), the deputies criticized the Bolsonaro family’s actions at the White House and defended a more organized reaction from the Brazilian progressive camp in the United States.
Janones stated that the left was slow to realize the importance of the rapprochement built by the Bolsonaro family with sectors of the American government. “I think that, in our camp, in the progressive camp, there was a lack of humility to take seriously this approach of the Bolsonaro family in the White House, especially with “, he said.
According to him, the trips of members of the Bolsonaro family to the United States were often treated with disdain by sectors of the left, but ended up producing concrete results. “Whenever an article came out it had that belittling tone. ‘Ah, he went there to beg for a photo’. ‘Ah, he went there to try to get a space’. And each time they have been delivering more results”, he stated.
For the parliamentarian, the mission represents an attempt to expand dialogue with American parliamentarians and prevent allies of the former president from monopolizing the narrative about Brazil in Washington.
Representative Jandira Feghali also held Bolsonaro’s allies responsible for the worsening of bilateral tensions. “These are people who in theory think they represent Brazil, but who arrive here and articulate measures against the country,” he stated.
The deputies also contested the classification of the PCC and Comando Vermelho as terrorist organizations. Although they defend international cooperation against the factions, they argue that the measure could produce economic and political effects that go beyond the fight against organized crime.
Pedro Uczai stated that the delegation will present a document proposing cooperation mechanisms between the two countries in areas such as tracking financial resources, combating money laundering, international arms trafficking and exchanging information between investigative bodies.
“Instead of having unilateral stances, we want cooperation,” he said.
According to the parliamentarian, a significant part of the weapons seized in actions against organized crime in Brazil originate in the United States, which would require joint action by the two governments. Uczai also criticized the new tariffs imposed by Trump, classifying the measure as unilateral and incompatible with the diplomatic tradition built between the two countries.
Representative Pedro Campos stated that the mission was originally planned to discuss risks of external interference in the Brazilian electoral process, but ended up incorporating the themes of international trade and the fight against organized crime in light of recent events.
“There is a desire among the Brazilian people to have free elections this year and for us to be able to do this without external influences,” he stated.
According to Campos, both discussions about tariffs and initiatives related to organized crime began to be seen by the group within a broader political context, marked by the proximity of the Brazilian electoral calendar.
During the trip, parliamentarians intend to meet with Democratic congressmen and representatives of international organizations. The expectation is to use the meetings to defend Brazilian sovereignty, contest measures adopted by the Trump administration and expand political dialogue within the government camp in the United States.
