The will defend at the public hearing of the commercial investigation opened by the government against Brazil that they do not apply the proposed 25% tariff on Brazilian products and resume the strategy of imposing individual sanctions against the country’s authorities, including the minister of the (Supreme Federal Court).
Figueiredo, who is an ally of the Bolsonaro family, is scheduled to speak at the . The senator and pre-candidate for the Presidency, , is expected to speak on the 7th.
The Brazilian government will not 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 embassy.
In testimony prepared for the USTR Section 301 hearing, obtained by SheetFigueiredo planned to say that the tariff would “punish the victims”, “reward the authors” of the conduct investigated and would produce an effect contrary to American strategic interests by bringing Brazil even closer to China.
The Bolsonarista claims that the American government should — a mechanism used by the United States to sanction foreigners accused of significant corruption or human rights violations —, in addition to visa restrictions provided for in American legislation.
According to him, these measures would directly affect the authorities responsible for the decisions criticized by Washington, without affecting the Brazilian economy or American consumers.
“The tariff hits the wrong target,” says the text prepared for the hearing. According to Figueiredo, the censorship orders investigated by the United States are attributed to “a minister of the Federal Supreme Court and the current government”, while a tariff would fall on Brazilian exporters, importers and American consumers and even on Brazilians who, according to him, were victims of these judicial decisions.
The return of the sanction against Moraes and the request that it be extended to other STF ministers have been the new venture of Figueiredo and the former federal deputy in Washington.
The two asked for these measures during meetings they had during the period in which Flávio Bolsonaro was with Trump and other members of the White House. According to Figueiredo, however, this has been a request from him and Eduardo, which is not extended to Flávio as he considers that this is “not his role”.
In the statement, another argument that must be supported by Figueiredo is that the surcharge would end up strengthening the president politically. According to Figueiredo, the Brazilian government would transform the commercial conflict into a nationalist discourse during , converting the friction with Washington into internal political gains.
The announcement of the proposal for a new tariff against Brazil took place about a week after a meeting between Flávio and Trump, in June, which has been used by Lula’s allies to (PL) adapt and promote the narrative that he works against national interests.
Figueiredo also maintains that the measure would be incompatible with the United States’ own national security strategy. He cites White House documents that point to the Western Hemisphere as a strategic priority and states that new tariffs would tend to increase Brazil’s commercial dependence on China.
“Each new increase in pressure pushes the largest economy in the hemisphere towards the main competitor that the American strategy itself seeks to keep away,” he will say. The definitive investigation report must be published by July 15 and Trump has the final say on the application of the measures.
