Gleisi celebrates the approval of the Social Fund Provisional Measure: "very important for the country"
With congressional approval, the measure expands the use of pre-salt resources for the Minha Casa Minha Vida program and could generate R$ 20 billion in revenue.
247 - The Minister of Institutional Relations, Gleisi Hoffmann (PT), celebrated this Wednesday (2) the approval, by the Federal Senate, of Provisional Measure 1291/2025, which updates the rules of the Social Fund and expands the use of pre-salt resources for areas such as popular housing, social infrastructure and disaster relief. The measure, which had already been approved the previous week by the Chamber of Deputies, was celebrated by the government as a strategic victory in Congress.
"The approval, last week by the Chamber of Deputies and yesterday by the Federal Senate, of the Provisional Measure for the Social Fund is very important for the country. This will allow the Fund's resources to also be applied to housing finance, with a new tier of the Minha Casa Minha Vida program," Gleisi highlighted.
The minister also highlighted the possibility of selling surplus oil to increase government revenue. "And the measure also allows for the early sale of surplus oil, generating resources of more than R$ 15 billion for this year and next. President Lula's government appreciates this great contribution from the National Congress to Brazil and continues the dialogue to move the country forward," she added.
The measure was approved by a symbolic vote in the Senate, although it faced resistance from the opposition. Senators such as Rogério Marinho (PL-RN), Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), Damares Alves (Republicanos-DF) and other parliamentarians from the PL and Novo parties tried to block the section that allows the auction of surplus pre-salt oil and gas, but the request was rejected by 37 votes to 17.
The Social Fund Provisional Measure allows the government to use the fund's resources—previously restricted to areas such as education, health, culture, and the environment—also for housing finance, especially through a new tier of the Minha Casa Minha Vida (My House, My Life) program. The measure also authorizes the early sale of surplus oil and gas, which, according to government estimates, could generate up to R$ 20 billion in revenue between this year and next, without fiscal impact.
During the debates, the government leader in Congress, Senator Randolfe Rodrigues (PT-AP), defended the proposal and countered criticism from the opposition. “This is not an electioneering measure. It's a program of this government. This Social Fund is for the poorest, to build houses for the people, to invest in education, not to hand over money for the distribution of profits and dividends to the rich outside the country.”
Reported by Congressman José Priante (MDB-PA), the approved text also raises the mandatory percentage allocated to education and health from 50% to 55%. Furthermore, it establishes regional targets for resource allocation in 2025 and 2026: 30% in the Northeast, 15% in the North, and 10% in the Central-West, prioritizing historically more vulnerable regions.
Created in 2010, the Social Fund is supplied by resources from oil royalties and was designed to transform income from oil and gas exploration into long-term investment in the country's social and regional development. With final approval, the MP now goes to presidential sanction, which needs to happen by this Thursday (3) so that the text does not lose validity.
