The government () increased the budget by more than R$116 million during the year, taking this budget to around R$876 million in 2025.
The amount allocated to government communication, on the eve of the election year, exceeds the approximately R$600 million reserved in 2024 — a figure that was the largest applied to Secom (Communication Secretariat) contracts since 2017.
The expansion places the department in a privileged position within the government. There have been funding cuts, and several agencies need resources even for routine operations.
The , for example, to issue passports, while the Ministry of Education still completes teaching materials.
The Budget line reserved for “institutional communication” mainly funds the federal government’s advertising campaigns, as well as smaller contracts, such as press relations and opinion research.
Secom’s advertising bill alone is R$562 million annually, carried out by four agencies. Some of the main allocations of this amount were R$85 million for the campaign with the motto , in addition to R$30 million to promote .
The Lula government has changed its communications strategy since taking over Secom in January. The department increased the budget for internet advertising and began producing viral video models.
The movement fits into the PT member’s quest for re-election. The president categorically stated last Wednesday (22) that .
A publication made at the end of September on the “gov.br” networks illustrates the new format adopted by the government. In the video, presenter João Kléber takes his “loyalty test” — a scenario that aimed to provoke and “catch” potential adulterers — to the dispute between the Lula and Donald Trump governments.
In a statement, Secom stated that the legislation provides for communication actions to promote public policies and rights. He also said that part of its budget was blocked and that, therefore, there was no substantial change in the total amount of contributions.
The government must allocate an additional R$100 million per year for a new digital communications contract — the tender to choose the agencies that will execute the budget is in its final phase. The service involves producing videos, texts, podcasts and other content aimed at social networks.
Tender documents show that the government wants to produce around 3,000 videos a year, in various formats. Just the 576 videos “with presenter” should cost R$21.4 thousand each, or R$12.3 million for the year.
The new contract must also include the creation of podcasts and videocasts, among other products.
In the dispute, the agencies had to present a proposal for a “creative and effective communication strategy” to increase the engagement and reach of government messages on social media with the production of posts on topics such as Pé-de-Meia, Bolsa Família and Minha Casa, Minha Vida.
The most recent allocation of funds for the Presidency’s communication, of R$90 million, was defined on the 17th. The decision was taken after discussions between Planalto and the economic team, which included the idea of boosting digital communication.
The government cited the need to carry out campaigns “with greater thematic coverage, expansion of population reach, adoption of new digital formats and reinforcement of regionalized communication actions”.
In the ordinance in which it increased the budget for advertising, the government made transfers of around R$2.4 billion in various ministries. This amount was canceled from some budget actions and added to others, a measure that is required to comply with fiscal rules.
Some bodies lost out in this Budget change, such as the (National Social Security Institute), which had a R$190 million cut. The body that treasuries can impact essential services, such as payroll processing for social security benefits.
Government talks about expanding actions and launching new programs
In a statement, Secom said that it has expanded institutional communication actions in the year in which it launched new programs and public policies, such as Gás do Povo, Agora Tem Especialistas and the proposal to expand the Income Tax exemption, “to guarantee the benefiting population’s access to these services”.
Secom also said that it requested a credit of R$90 million to guarantee the carrying out of priority actions, after having R$91 million blocked.
The ministry stated that the only supplement it received was a credit of R$27 million from Itamaraty, for the BRICS Summit.
“Therefore, there was no substantial change in the secretariat’s budget, in relation to the allocation provided for in the LOA (Annual Budget Law) of 2025.” The secretariat also said that the legislation requires it to “give society broad knowledge of the policies and programs of the federal Executive Branch”, in addition to publicizing citizens’ rights, among other services.
