Cunha: government wants to "convey the image that only the Senate exists"

247 - The Speaker of the House, Eduardo Cunha (PMDB-RJ), criticized on Tuesday the 11th the exclusion of the House from the agreement signed between the federal government and the Senate against voting on the so-called 'bomb bills', which could harm the country's public finances. Regarding the dinner offered last night by President Dilma Rousseff to the senators, Cunha commented: "I think it's an attempt to convey the image that only the Senate exists. And to think that this will cause any embarrassment for the House, it won't, that's nonsense."

Cunha made a point of highlighting that both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies play an important role with regard to projects of national interest. "We just need to be careful about one thing: we live under a bicameral system according to the Constitution, not a unicameral one. So, obviously, both Houses have to approve the proposals. We can't think that only the Senate works, only the Chamber works, nor can we think that once a bill is processed in the Senate, it's finished," he stated.

The Speaker of the House also criticized the Senate, saying that the Upper House has not yet voted on all points of the fiscal adjustment. "We sent the outsourcing bill there [to the Senate] four months ago. They could have considered it four months ago," he said. Cunha stated that he does not consider himself an "incendiary" as the government allegedly tried to portray him by appealing to senators to block the "bomb bills."

"I don't consider myself an arsonist, nor do I think anyone needs a firefighter. There are things that are the responsibility of one House and the other, and there are things that belong to both. Everyone needs to know their role," emphasized the PMDB member. Cunha's statement came in the wake of the assertion by the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros (PMDB-AL), who stated that "prioritizing the vote on the Dilma government's accounts would be like setting Brazil on fire."

Renan presented yesterday A "Brazil Agenda" for overcoming the crisis, which brings together 28 measures seeking solutions that point towards the resumption of growth and increased legal certainty in Brazil. Today, during the launch of the Energy Plan, President Dilma classified He described the measures as "very positive." "We look at the proposals with great interest and highly value their presence. I think this is indeed a positive agenda for the country and shows the Senate's willingness to contribute," he stated.