At the American government’s public hearing to discuss the proposal for 25% tariffs on Brazilian products, the senator and presidential candidate (-RJ) must quote the president (PT) and ask that any US punishments be directed at those “responsible for the practices investigated” and not at the country’s economy as a whole.
The information that against a new tariff was anticipated by columnist Mônica Bergamo.
Bolsonaro businessman Paulo Figueiredo told Sheet that Flávio will maintain that the measure proposed by the USTR (Office of the US Trade Representative) would end up affecting Brazilian exporters, American importers and consumers in both countries, without reaching those responsible for the conduct highlighted in the investigation.
Among the government’s complaints, which claims that Brazil creates competitive disadvantages for American companies, are criticism of the use of Pix, accusations of removing political content from American platforms and the allegation that the country would not adopt sufficient measures to combat corruption.
A new public hearing is scheduled for July 6 and is part of the consultation opened by the USTR before the final decision on the adoption of the tariffs. On the other hand, the Brazilian government is not expected to speak at the hearing.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ strategy is to remain focused on operating through its own channels between governments. The department sees the public consultation as a space for the private sector, entities and other interested parties to express their opinions.
The definitive investigation report must be published by July 15 and Trump has the final say on the application of the measures.
According to Figueiredo, Flávio intends to argue that part of the practices criticized by , especially related to content moderation on digital platforms, result from court decisions and not legislation approved by .
According to him, the senator will argue that measures to remove content and block profiles — one of the USTR’s complaints after the Section 301 investigation — were adopted “outside the law” without specific legislative approval, and that there are institutional mechanisms in operation in the US to challenge them.
“He will technically argue that censorship and secret orders were imposed outside the law by the Judiciary and Lula’s decrees, despite the objection of Congress, which never passed any legislation in this direction,” he says.
Among the examples that should be cited are requests for impeachment of ministers of the Federal Supreme Court that await analysis in the .
The strategy seeks to reinforce the argument that the issues raised by the American investigation are part of an ongoing institutional dispute in Brazil and should not serve as a justification for broad economic sanctions against the country.
Figueiredo also stated that the document prepared for the hearing has been prepared for weeks and already contains dozens of pages of technical analyses. Flávio will have five minutes to present his testimony.
Another point that should be highlighted in the demonstration is the defense of Pix. According to Figueiredo, the senator will argue that the instant payments system created by the Central Bank benefited consumers, Brazilian companies and also American companies located in the country.
In its investigation, the USTR cites concerns about Brazilian policies that, according to the agency, would favor national payment companies to the detriment of American competitors.
According to Figueiredo, Flávio intends to refute this assessment and state that Pix did not harm foreign investors nor should it be treated as an object of commercial negotiation.
On the political side, the Bolsonaro influencer and former deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro are in Washington this Tuesday (23).
On Monday, they participated in a dinner with American senators and, now, they continue in meetings with White House officials, without specifying with whom. One of their requests in the American capital is that the US resume the Magnitsky Act against the minister of .
