Presenter stated that beneficiaries would look for “shortcuts” to remain in the program indefinitely
The Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Combating Hunger, (PT), presenter Luciano Huck this Wednesday (May 27, 2026). Dias classified the recent events as reinforcing historical prejudices against the low-income population in Brazil.
During the 5th Esfera Forum last Saturday (May 23), in Guarujá (SP), the presenter stated that the social program does not create incentives for families to leave it and that beneficiaries would seek “shortcuts” to stay “to eternity [para sempre]“ receiving assistance.
When commenting on Huck’s statement, Wellington Dias stated that the presenter’s speech “it was ugly”.
This is Dias’s 2nd public statement about the episode. On Monday (May 25), he had already published a video on social media contesting data taken by Huck about the economy of the municipality of Senhor do Bonfim (BA), on which occasion he stated that “lack of information is also a dangerous weapon”.
Minister counters with data
To counter the thesis of lack of stimulus, Wellington Dias presented recent figures from Bolsa Família. According to him, since 2023, 5.1 million families have left the program because they have overcome the poverty line.
“These families started working. They went to work in a supermarket, in an energy company, in the public sector. There are people who opened small businesses”, he stated.
Currently, 7.1 million beneficiary families have formal employment or some type of autonomous economic activity. The minister detailed the reason why they continue to receive the aid even though they are in the job market:
“If the family is working, earns a minimum wage, but has six or seven people in the house, they have not escaped poverty,” he said, exemplifying the program’s per capita calculation rules.
In the end, Dias defended the urgent need to combat social stigmas and highlighted the humanitarian role of social assistance. “We need to take advantage of facts like this so that we can bury once and for all the prejudice we have towards the poorest. Programs like this guarantee people that they will never be humiliated again”, these.
