“Breaking: House passes controversial MP of ministries, putting Environment and Indigenous Peoples at risk! Senate has only 1 day to save them!”

The plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies approved, this Wednesday (31), the bill for the conversion to the provisional measure that deals with the basic organization of the Presidency of the Republic and the ministries (MPV 1.154/2023).

The text, under the rapporteurship of Deputy Isnaldo Bulhões (MDB-AL), received 337 votes in favor and 125 against. One deputy abstained from voting. The deputies are now focusing on the highlights of the bank with the aim of modifying the approved version. Subsequently, the text must still go through the Federal Senate.

The result comes amid public demonstrations of discontent by parliamentarians with the political articulation carried out by the Planalto Palace, but it is favorable news for the government, which for a large part of the day saw its intentions in the matter threatened and had to speed up the release of parliamentary amendments to unblock the vote.

Representatives of self-styled independent parties, such as União Brasil, PP and Republicanos, affirmed that the vote in favor of the MPV would be a last gesture of goodwill towards the government.

The rapporteur promoted relevant changes in relation to the original version edited by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). The most relevant involve a reduction in the powers of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, led by Marina Silva (Rede), and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, led by Sonia Guajajara (PSOL).

Despite being annoyed by the changes in the matter, the government decided to race against time to complete the legislative process of the text and prevent the provisional measure from losing its validity (that is, “expires”, in political jargon). For this, the approval of the Federal Senate is still required without merit changes until Thursday night (1).

If the senators decide to turn the matter around or do not analyze the text in time, the Esplanada dos Ministérios would return to the current design in the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL). In practice, the structure of 37 folders formed by Lula in his third term would now have the 23 of the previous administration. A defeat that none of Lula’s predecessors has suffered since redemocratization.

This would imply the extinction of the Ministries of Indigenous Peoples, Agrarian Development, Women and Human Rights.

In the economic field, the Ministries of Finance, Planning and Budget, the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services and the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, commanded respectively by Fernando Haddad (PT), Simone Tebet (MDB) , Esther Dweck and Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) − would be one again.

If the senators approve any change of merit in the text, it will be necessary to return to the analysis of the Chamber of Deputies, which has the last word on the version to be submitted for presidential sanction. In this case, however, the risk of the provisional measure “expiring” is further increased by the lack of time for another stage of the process.

The initial plan of the Planalto Palace was for the conversion bill to be voted on by the deputies on Tuesday (30). There was an attempt to reverse the agenda so that the issue was the first on the agenda in the plenary session of the legislative house, but the parliamentarians ended up discussing the schedule for the demarcation of indigenous lands and the provisional measure of the new Stock Exchange. Family (MPV) 1,164/2023).

Amid the perception of the government’s risk of defeat in the MPV due to the restructuring of ministries, an agreement between party leaders postponed the vote until Wednesday. As a consequence, the processing time for the text became even tighter, reducing the room for negotiation on the part of the Planalto Palace.

Concerned about the defeats in the National Congress and the risk of damage with the provisional measure, Lula called an emergency meeting this morning with the core of the government’s political articulation. Present were the ministers of the Civil House, Rui Costa (PT), and of the Institutional Relations Secretariat, Alexandre Padilha (PT), and the government leader in the Chamber of Deputies, José Guimarães (PT-CE).

Still on the morning of this Wednesday, Lula called the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL) and called for the approval of the provisional measure. In response, the parliamentarian reportedly expressed his concern about the government’s dialogue in the legislative house and the absence of a solid base of support to vote.

Despite the approval of the text by the deputies within the deadline, the governance framework remains delicate in the Chamber of Deputies. Parliamentarians of different acronyms have expressed their discontent with the lack of spaces in the government and demand greater speed in the release of funds for reforms and second positions in the portfolios.

Victory with a taste of defeat

The provisional measure under discussion deals with 31 ministries, compared to 17 under the Bolsonaro administration, and 6 bodies with ministry status linked to the Presidency of the Republic. Of the current 37, 13 already existed; 19 arose from breakups; 2 were renamed; and 3, created. According to the Lula government, the restructuring did not generate an increase in expenses.

But the substitute for the rapporteur Isnaldo Bulhões Jr. brought important changes in relation to the version sent by the Executive Power to parliament, with defeats mainly for the ministers Marina Silva and Sonia Guajajara.

According to the text, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security will once again be in charge of the recognition and demarcation of indigenous lands. The Lula administration had assigned these powers to the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, created in January and which will be responsible for suggesting new areas for traditional peoples.

The final version of the ruling also determines the redistribution of some powers related to the National Supply Company (Conab), linked by the MPV to the Ministry of Agrarian Development. Part of the responsibilities will pass to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, to which Conab previously belonged.

The Ministry of Agriculture will be responsible for guaranteeing minimum prices, with the exception of sociobiodiversity products, marketing, supply and storage actions, as well as information on agricultural systems, including market prices for live cattle. and sacks of grain. .

Due to this change, the approved text ended up altering the responsibilities of the Agrarian Development portfolio associated with the development and sustainability of family farming. It will correspond to the ministry, for example, to guarantee minimum prices for the production of families in the field and to support the cultivation of organic products.

The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, according to the approved text, will no longer have some powers. The Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), which in the Bolsonaro government left the Environment and went to Agriculture, will now be linked to the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services.

The basic sanitation, solid waste and water resources systems, currently in the Environment portfolio, pass to the Ministry of Cities —which, in terms of sanitation, will also act on indigenous lands. The National Agency for Water and Basic Sanitation (ANA) will be integrated into the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development.

The Ministry of Communications will assume the national policy of connectivity and digital inclusion and the national communications network. In turn, the Ministry of Social Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger should be responsible for initiatives to reduce the abusive use of alcohol and other drugs.

Another reform to the MPV included by the rapporteur authorizes the Executive Branch to take measures to suppress the National Health Foundation (Funasa), already provided for in MPV 1.156/2023, which also expires on Thursday (1). The measures that result from the end of Funasa will be the responsibility of the Ministries of the Cities; Management; and health.

The approved text incorporates MPV 1.161/2023, by which the President of the Republic may define, by decree, the composition of the Board of Directors of the Investment Partnership Program (PPI). Today the definition must be made by law. According to Isnaldo Bulhões Jr., the provisional measure will not be voted on and will expire on June 9.

On the other hand, the rapporteur left out MP 1,158/2023, which transferred the Financial Activities Control Council (Coaf) from the Central Bank to the Treasury. The MPV will expire on June 1 and then the Coaf, the intelligence unit to prevent and combat money laundering and corruption, will return to BC.

(with agencies)

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