Figueiredo gives up speaking against tariffs at hearing in Washington

Journalist and influencer Paulo Figueredo announced this Monday (6) that he will not participate in person in the public hearing held by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) regarding the tariff applied to Brazil.

The session serves to discuss the body's opinion on the implementation of a 25% tariff on Brazilian products from July 15th. The influencer's participation to argue about the surcharges was scheduled for this Monday.

Figueredo decided to send his comments in writing to highlight his ally, the senator and pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), who will speak on the second and final day of the hearing this Tuesday (7). The published schedule shows Flávio scheduled to speak from 10am (11am Brasília time).

"The focus of the week should be on @FlavioBolsonaro going to fight against the tariffs that Lula is working so hard on. That's why, instead of participating in the hearing in person, I chose to send my comments in writing. I'm sure that Flavio will shine and represent us", wrote the influencer on his social networks.

In addition to Flávio de Figueredo, the event should feature representatives from companies, business associations, law firms and experts in commercial policy. Those involved must try to convince the American representative that there are no reasons to impose tariffs and refute the arguments in the opinion released on June 1st.

The new rates are the result of an investigation conducted by the USTR based on Section 301, which points to alleged favoritism for Pix, preferential trade agreements, ethanol, deforestation, corruption and piracy as justifications for the imposition of new tariffs against Brazil.

The senator must speak against the surcharge and, mainly, in defense of the PIX, as previously announced. Furthermore, the speech should try to distance the image of Flávio from an alleged action in favor of taxes, as accused by the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), after Flávio's visit to the White House in May.

Figueiredo, who has already participated in other articulation movements between the Brazilian right and the American government, can ask for the application of the Magnitsky Law against Supreme Court ministers Alexandre de Moraes and Gilmar Mendes in place of the tariff, as previously posted on his networks.

As reported by CNN, the Brazilian government decided, at the last minute, to send representatives from the Brazilian Embassy in Washington to the hearing. However, the participation of the Brazilian government must be restricted to the status of observer, without any interference or speech. Brazil chose to prioritize diplomatic channels.

The focus of the week should be @FlavioBolsonaro's departure to fight against the tariffs that Lula is working so hard on. Therefore, instead of participating in the hearing in person, I chose to submit my comments in writing. I'm sure Flavio will shine and represent us.

- Paulo Figueiredo (8) (@pfigueiredo08) July 6, 2026

Figueiredo was the target of criticism from Flávio last week. The senator and pre-candidate condemned his ally for a statement that "women vote very badly". The speech took place at a time of stress among female voters due to the crisis with former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro.

How the hearing will work
The hearing will take place at the United States International Trade Commission, in Washington, and will be divided into 14 panels. The first seven will take place this Monday, starting at 11am (Brasília time, 10am in Washington), while the remaining seven start at 11am on Tuesday (7), also Brasília time.

Representatives of the affected Brazilian sectors, as well as importers, distributors, industries, associations, federations, chambers of commerce, consultancies, specialized offices, economic representation entities and other registered participants who can present technical and objective arguments about the impacts of the tariffs, will have five minutes to present an executive summary in defense of the production chain they represent.

The process also provides moments for questions, which may be asked by the USTR itself, followed by the respective responses from the participating entities.

Preparations for the hearings began last month. Interested parties had until June 22nd to request participation in the process and until July 1st to submit written statements, which will serve as the basis for the presentations.

The Brazilian government has entered the final stretch of its attempt to avoid American tariffs. This Thursday (2), the Minister of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, Márcio Elias, had the fourth high-level meeting with the United States trade representative, Jamieson Greer.

The technical teams will meet again at the beginning of next week and a new meeting between the authorities is scheduled to take place before July 15, when a decision on alleged unfair practices on the part of Brazil must be taken by the Americans, including the threat of applying 25% tariffs on some national products.

To try to change this scenario, Brazil presented a "road map" with a series of measures to respond to Americans' complaints. Among them, the reduction of import tariffs in sectors such as machinery, health equipment and information technology - however, the PIX remains out of negotiation.

With information from Luciana Amaral and Patrick Palhares

What to expect from the hearing on 25% tariffs in the US this Monday (6) | CNN NEW DAY

Source: CNN