The cost of Temer's agreements with the rural caucus reaches R$ 30 billion.

From the Editorial Staff of On the 21

According to surveys conducted by the Climate Observatory, an organization that brings together several NGOs, the recent agreements signed between the federal government and the Parliamentary Agricultural Front, the rural caucus, to remain in office will cost public coffers and generate an impact of around R$ 30 billion. This information was published in the column by Carlos Rittl, a member of the observatory, in the newspaper. Valor Econômico, this Monday (21th).

The figures relate to four projects: the reduction of the Jamanxim National Forest (PA), the loss of revenue from the so-called MP 759 – the so-called Land Grabbing Law, which deals with the regularization of properties in the Amazon, including those resulting from illegal appropriation – MP 793, which granted debt relief to rural landowners, and the amendments allocated to parliamentarians who are part of the rural caucus. The measures address demands from the rural caucus and, according to Rittl's assessment, were used as bargaining chips by the federal government to keep the deputies in Temer's base and guarantee his continued presidency.

According to the organization's calculations, the measures will have an estimated impact of between R$ 28 billion and R$ 32 billion, with the largest impact on the regularization of federal lands acquired at a discount or illegally (between R$ 18,8 billion and R$ 20,7 billion) and on debt relief (between R$ 8 billion and R$ 10 billion). Amendments for deputies who are members of the rural caucus total approximately R$ 715 million.

Among the members of the rural caucus from Rio Grande do Sul are Darcísio Perondi (PMDB), who received R$ 6,97 million in amendments, his party colleague Alceu Moreira, R$ 6,650 million, and Luiz Carlos Heinze (PP) – R$ 4,113 million. The latter, despite voting with the government on the labor reform, voted in favor of investigating Temer in early August.