Dino's demands stall PIX amendments and generate complaints from the government's base in Congress.

247 - The so-called PIX amendments, created to expedite the transfer of funds from parliamentarians to states and municipalities, are paralyzed in 2025. According to a report published by The GlobeThe federal government has not yet released any of the R$ 7,3 billion allocated in this year's budget as of the end of last week. This impasse has generated strong criticism from its allied base in Congress, which threatens to inflict further defeats on the Presidential Palace.

The situation is a direct consequence of the new requirements imposed by Minister Flávio Dino of the Supreme Federal Court (STF). At the end of 2024, Dino determined that payments could only be made with the presentation of a work plan detailing the use of the resources and the opening of a specific account for receiving them. The measure ended up transforming a mechanism previously seen as a "blank check" into a process with greater control and bureaucracy.

From blank checks to bureaucracy

Until the Supreme Court's decision, mayors and governors had broad freedom to allocate funds, often without clear accountability. Now, each project must be analyzed by the corresponding ministry. If a municipality intends to use the resources to build a school, for example, it must present details to the Ministry of Education.

The government's leader in Congress, Randolfe Rodrigues (PT-AP), admitted the change in the process:

"There was an adjustment approved by the Supreme Federal Court. Before, there was no work plan, now there is. Therefore, there is a more comprehensive protocol for releases, different from how it was before."

According to data from the Federal Audit Court (TCU), 964 work plans from previous years remain unregistered. The lack of proper documentation is cited as a partial non-compliance with court decisions.

Political pressure and delays in Congress

In addition to the demands of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), the legislative calendar itself contributed to the delay. The 2025 Budget was only approved in March, when it should have been voted on by December of the previous year, forcing the government to rework the payment schedules.

However, the impasse has fueled discontent in Congress. Amid the complaints, the government has suffered recent defeats, such as the establishment of the INSS Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry under opposition leadership and the approval, in the Senate's Constitution and Justice Committee, of a proposal to authorize printed ballots.

Amendments blocked and a race against time.

According to the TransfereGov platform, 44 proposals were registered this year, but only 5,6 received approval — equivalent to R$ 3,8 billion. Parliamentarians claim that the lack of staff in ministries has delayed the analysis of the plans, increasing pressure on the government.

The newspaper's survey indicates that 526 PIX amendments have been blocked so far, many of them due to a lack of a work plan. Among the cases are two proposals from Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP), one for monitoring with electronic ankle bracelets and another with the generic description of "construction." A similar situation affected Congressman Marcos Pollon (PL-MS), as well as Senator Eliziane Gama (PSD-MA) and even the Speaker of the House, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), who had their funds frozen.

Transparency versus agility

Last year, an audit by the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) showed that PIX amendments financed everything from parties and street festivals to car races. The survey also pointed to a strong influence of the mechanism in municipal elections: in 93,7% of the municipalities that received the most resources, the mayors managed to get re-elected.

According to experts, the new requirements are a step forward. Marina Atoji, director of Transparency Brazil, believes there are still flaws, but acknowledges gains in oversight:

"The measures are still insufficient to make the PIX amendments republican. Despite increased oversight and transparency, the use of the funds remains entirely at the discretion of the beneficiary."

Mayors, however, defend the original model. Admaelton Bezerra (MDB), president of the Piauí Association of Municipalities, criticized the changes:

“The PIX amendments allow managers to allocate resources where the municipality truly needs them. With the changes from the Supreme Federal Court, we've returned to the bureaucracy of agreements, which can take up to three years to execute, delaying the most urgent actions.”

Alternative paths

Faced with these difficulties, members of Congress have sought to accelerate other mechanisms, such as committee amendments, which totaled R$ 5 billion approved last week. However, this amount has not yet been committed.

Meanwhile, mayors and lawmakers continue to pressure the government for greater speed, amid the dilemma between transparency and efficiency in the execution of public funds.