Spending on daily allowances for legislative police officers who escort senators on trips jumped from R$1.1 million to R$1.8 million in the first five months of this year compared to the same period in 2025.
Authorities who monitor the issue state that the 64% increase is the result of travel by senators who will contest the elections, mainly those of , in the pre-campaign for the Presidency of the Republic.
The parliamentarian has made a series of trips since being announced as Jair Bolsonaro’s (PL) candidate in the presidential election. In the last of them, last week, he went to the United States, where he met with President Donald Trump. Allies of President Lula (PT) have linked the meeting to the proposal for Brazilian products, announced this Tuesday.
Six senators have access to individual protection from the Legislative Police. Of these, three have already decided that they will be candidates this year: Flávio Bolsonaro; (-PR), who seeks to be elected governor of Paraná; and Angelo Coronel (Republicanos-BA), who is seeking re-election. The Senate does not report the amount spent on each parliamentarian.
Monitoring by the Legislative Police is only given to the president of the Senate and to senators who indicate that they have received a threat. In the case of Moro, for example, the escort began in 2023, when authorities identified the existence of .
Completing the list, in addition to the president of the House, (-AP), the former president (-MG) and Ana Paula Lobato (PSB-MA).
For alleged security reasons, the Senate only reports the amount paid to each police officer and the dates. It is not possible to know the name of the public servant, which senator he is responsible for or what the expense refers to.
The biggest expense this year occurred on January 16, when two legislative police officers together received R$157,000 to pay food and accommodation expenses. The date coincides with the beginning of, between January and February.
At first, he asked for authorization to travel with all expenses covered by the Senate, but he backtracked after negative repercussions. In the case of this trip and the following ones, the House paid for daily allowances and tickets for security guards, but not for other expenses.
In the case of the trip to the Middle East, Flávio visited Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. From there, he headed to Europe and stopped in France. The occasion was used to and, according to the duo, combat anti-Semitism.
This year, Flávio has already traveled at least three times to the United States, where his brother lives, the last time this week. The senator amid attempts by allies to implement a positive agenda after the political wear and tear of the case “”. He traveled accompanied by
On another trip to the USA, the parliamentarian participated in CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference), in Texas, where he placed himself as a pre-candidate for president and asked the country to exert “diplomatic pressure” on Brazil in this year’s elections.
On the first day of the conference, March 25, the Senate recorded the payment of two daily allowances totaling R$38,000 for two legislative police officers.
The trips have been declared by Flávio as “unofficial” missions, defined as political or mandated. Absences from plenary sessions are disregarded, but there is a deduction in salary.
Spending on security guards occurs even when senators make trips that are not part of official missions.
Last year, the Senate paid R$2.9 million in daily wages for the security guards who accompanied the six parliamentarians who received an escort.
Although significant, the daily value of the security guards only includes food, accommodation and small transport expenses, such as taxis and transfers, but not the cost of air tickets — which is also paid by .
The daily rate varies depending on the role of the server. For countries outside of South America, the amount paid per day ranges from US$402 (the equivalent of more than R$2,000 at current exchange rates) to US$503 (around R$2,500). For South American countries, the daily rate varies from US$342 (R$1,700) to US$428 (R$2,100).
Within Brazil, daily rates range from R$522 to R$792 for capitals and cities with more than 200 thousand inhabitants, and from R$417 to R$633 for cities with less than 200 thousand inhabitants.
Flávio says he won’t give up escort
Flávio has been protected by the Senate Legislative Police since the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government. When questioned, the senator stated that he will not give up the escort and that “it is public and well-known that members of the Bolsonaro family have faced, for years, an environment of strong polarization and concrete episodes of attacks and threats.”
“Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, like other parliamentarians, has already been the target of these types of attacks, has personal security guaranteed by the Federal Senate, regardless of being a pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, and will not give up protecting his life to give another Adélio Bispo a chance [autor de facada em Jair Bolsonaro em 2018]”, declared the pre-candidate.
“Regarding the amounts mentioned, daily payments follow the Senate’s internal administrative rules. The Liberal Party bore, and will bear, all other costs when on the agenda as a pre-candidate, in compliance with electoral legislation”, he added.
Having decided to run for governor, Moro has been traveling around Paraná. The senator also reported having traveled abroad twice this year, 12 days at the beginning of January and another 11 in February.
Asked by the report about the increase in spending on daily security guards, the senator said that “he has maintained the same flow of visits to Paraná since the beginning of his term, a commitment made with the people of Paraná who complained about the absence of the elected senators”, and that the attacks against him are known.
“Unfortunately, the senator suffers threats from the PCC in retaliation for the work he carried out and, therefore, needs to use an escort (which is not a benefit or privilege), linked and managed directly to the structure of the Presidency of the House”, he said, in a note.
Angelo Coronel’s press office declined to comment on his pre-campaign agenda or the reasons that led him to receive personal protection. The office limited itself to saying that only the Legislative Police Secretariat could provide information on parliamentary security out of respect for authorities’ protection protocols.
The report asked the Senate why spending increased this year, but there was no answer.
In a note, the House stated that “information relating to the security of parliamentarians is considered sensitive to the extent that it may cause vulnerability and risks to authorities and employees involved in escort services.”
Alcolumbre and Ana Paula are in the middle of their term. The two left the country once each this year. Pacheco, in turn, says to end his political career. There is no record in the Senate that he traveled abroad in 2026.
