Lula denies feeling unwell after vetoing R$ 5,6 billion in amendments: "I always negotiate with Congress"

BRAZIL CURRENT NETWORK - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Tuesday (23) that his decision to veto R$ 5,6 billion in parliamentary amendments from the budget committee The 2024 election is also a way to re-establish a "democratic relationship" between the Executive and Congress. In an interview with journalist Mário Kertész, who hosts the program Good Day da Radio MetrópoleIn Salvador, Lula made reference to former president Jair Bolsonaro, who used the amendments to bargain for support for his government. Under Bolsonaro, the so-called rapporteur amendments were also created, a device known as the secret budget, which established a relationship in which parliamentarians have to "gain" something.

"I always negotiate with Congress. Yesterday (22), I vetoed the parliamentary amendments. (…) But I am very pleased to explain the veto to the leaders. Regarding the amendments, we must remember that the former president did not govern the country. The National Congress was in charge. He (Bolsonaro"He didn't even have the capacity to discuss the budget. What he wanted was for the deputies to do whatever they wanted," said the president. >>> READ ALSO: Led by Lira, the Centrão (center-right bloc) is preparing to overturn Lula's veto of amendments to the 2024 budget.

HOW DID THE BUDGET TURN OUT? The cut in non-mandatory and targeted amendments by the permanent committees of the Chamber and the Senate took place in the sanction of the Annual Budget Law (LOA) project, signed yesterday (22) by Lula. The text foresees total values ​​of approximately R$ 5,5 trillion. Most of the federal spending will continue to be on refinancing the public debt, around R$ 1,7 trillion. There was growth in investments in health by 18%, in education (11%) and by 30% for science and technology.

This is the first budget proposed by Lula's administration in his third term, since the 2023 budget had been proposed by the previous government. The objective, according to the president, was to ensure for this year "all the programs that are important to Brazilians."

In the case of a veto, however, it will still be analyzed by the National Congress, which can uphold or overturn it. Official Gazettel of the Union (DOUThe government also justified the veto due to the reduction in primary spending allocations that had been programmed by the Executive branch during the budget's passage through Congress. The measure, however, provoked reactions.

REACTIONS TO THE VETO - The deputy leader of the PP in the Chamber, José Nelto, even told the website... Power360 that the veto should be overturned. According to the congressman, Congress will "show its independence again," as it did with other presidential vetoes, such as the case of the time frame for indigenous lands. This claim was also indirectly commented on by Lula this Tuesday.

“I have nothing to complain about (my relationship with Congress). We have talked about all the issues and Congress has had the necessary understanding of the things we have to do… 'Ah, but they overturned the veto on the time frame'. Obviously they overturned the veto, only those with a majority in Congress can see that. But I vetoed it for a vehemently political reason. It was necessary for society to know that I vetoed it. Now we will abide by the Supreme Court's decision, which brings good and many guarantees to Brazilian indigenous people,” said the president.

Solidarity with the Pataxó people At the end of the interview, Lula also commented on the murder of Maria Fátima Muniz de Andrade, known as Nega Pataxó, last Sunday (21). The crime occurred in the Caramuru-Catarina Paraguassu Indigenous Land, in Potiraguá, south of Bahia. In addition to killing the indigenous leader of the Pataxó ethnic group, armed farmers, who were seeking an illegal repossession, injured other leaders during the attack.

The massacre was the result of a mobilization of around 200 rural landowners from the region who are part of a group called the Zero Invasion Movement, which opposes the retaking of indigenous territories. The backdrop to the dispute is the ownership of the Inhuma Farm, which had been occupied by indigenous people on Saturday (20). Yesterday, the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, was at the site to monitor the investigations and the situation of the victims. This Tuesday, she will also participate in a meeting with the president, as confirmed by Lula himself.

According to the Workers' Party member, the conversation will aim to find a peaceful solution to the conflict and will also include the governor of Bahia, Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT). “This year I intend to announce to Brazil the 'shelf of land we have available'. Whether it's federal land, land that has already been approved but is not productive… We need to take action to make this land productive. We will do the same with federal government properties. There is a lot of land, land that is breeding cockroaches and rats, and it's not possible that we haven't put it to use. (…) We need to get this back into the hands of the people,” Lula shared.