Lula accelerates popular agenda under fiscal pressure and electoral calendar

In the last week before the beginning of restrictions imposed by electoral legislation on institutional advertising, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) intensifies the federal government's advertising and delivery schedule.

The assessment at Palácio do Planalto is that the window until July 4th represents the last opportunity to expand the exposure of measures with the potential for direct impact on the electorate before limiting official disclosures.

The new bet is an expansion of Desenrola. This Monday (29), the government launched a line of credit aimed at informal workers who keep their bills up to date or have outstanding debts of up to 90 days. The modality provides subsidized interest, up to 1.99% per month, for a segment that tends to face more barriers to accessing credit in the market.

The package also creates a special line of financing for Fies graduates who intend to open or expand a business, reinforcing the government's strategy of concentrating actions aimed at income, credit and entrepreneurship.

Still this Monday, Lula received the president of the Chamber, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), to deliver the project that increases the revenue limit for individual microentrepreneurs (MEIs). The proposal raises the annual revenue ceiling from the current R$81 thousand to up to R$140 thousand. The economic team calculates an impact of approximately R$50 billion in tax waivers.

The sequence of announcements comes at a time of increasing pressure on public accounts. Also on Monday, the government reported a primary deficit of R$53.2 billion in May, increasing the challenge of reconciling measures to stimulate the economy with the commitment to fiscal balance.

The expectation in Planalto is to maintain the fast pace until the beginning of the electoral closure. The presidential agenda includes participation in the Mercosul Summit in Paraguay, launch of the Safra Plan, inauguration of a hospital unit, new announcements in the area of education and travel, including to Bahia, a state that became the main focus of the political crisis caused by the Master case in PT.

If on the one hand the government seeks to expand the delivery window, on the other it continues to encounter difficulties in unlocking some of its main flags in Congress. The PEC (Proposed Amendment to the Constitution) that ends the 6×1 work schedule continues with no prospect of advancement in the Senate.

The change in government leadership in the House, with the departure of Senator Jaques Wagner (PT-BA) and the arrival of Senator Teresa Leitão (PT-PE), has not changed, so far, the assessment that the proposal will remain on hold for the time being.

The president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), has not yet forwarded the text to the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission) and is working with the possibility of leaving any vote on the matter until after the July parliamentary recess. Behind the scenes of the government, the reading is that the delay reduces the chances that an eventual approval will produce political effects even before the first electoral round.

Another priority for Planalto that remains without progress is the Public Security PEC.

On the other hand, the Senate is expected to vote this Tuesday (30) on the creation of a special retirement for community health workers.

According to estimates by the Ministry of Social Security, the measure could generate an impact of more than R$28 billion over the next decade, increasing fiscal pressure precisely at a time when the government is trying to balance new stimulus policies with the containment of public spending.

Lula launches new phase of the Desenrola program; focus is on informal and consigned loans | CNN PRIME TIME

Source: CNN