Brazil’s Speaker of the House Scolds US$ 44 Million Spent on Special Session

It is estimated that around US$ 44.44 million (95 million reais) were spent to remunerate lawmakers and staff and cover operating expenses in the Chamber and the Senate for meetings during congressional recess.

Brazil’s National Congress met in a special session that lasted two months, beginning on December 16 and ending Wednesday, February 15. Floor sessions began on January 16. 

According to the president of the Chamber, Aldo Rebelo (Partido Comunista do Brazil, PCdoB, São Paulo), over half the money spent by the Chamber was to pay staff members.

In an interview in which he analyzed the cost of the special session, the deputy said the country would be better off if this money had been saved.

"Who knows whether, if we had saved US$ 44.44 million, it wouldn’t represent a significant contribution to defraying at least part of the cost of one day’s interest payments on the federal government debt," he pondered.

At the same time, however, he pointed out that the payment of additional salaries for special sessions will no longer exist, since a law was passed and promulgated abolishing the payment of additional salaries to legislators for special sessions.

He stressed the deputies’ effort during the session to vote on what were considered priority issues, such as shortening the parliamentary recess from 90 to 55 days.

"Judge me by what was debated and approved. Whether what was debated and approved is important to the country, the society, and the population should be analyzed by whoever is interested."

Of the 72 proposals before the Congress during the special session, 34 were passed, including 12 temporary measures, seven laws, 12 legislative decrees, a resolution, and five constitutional amendments.

Agência Brasil

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazil Tries to Change the US Mind on Plane Sale to Venezuela

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva assured Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, that the ...

Brazil Says Stopping WTO Talks Wasn’t Their Decision

Negotiations among four key World Trade Organization (WTO) governments over a new global agreement ...

Lula Talks About Dreams of Offering Brazilian Northeast Economic Opportunities

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reaffirmed, yesterday, August 4, in Canto do ...

Death Toll Rises to 57 in Brazilian Floods. Dozens Still Missing

The toll of deaths due to flooding in Brazil’s Northeast region states of Alagoas ...

Brazil Goes to Washington to Fix Its Social Security

Brazil’s Minister of Social Security, Amir Lando, initiated, yesterday, a series of contacts to ...

Back from Brazil, Rio Gringa Is Ready for Other Flights

Readers who follow my  "Odds and Ends" on The Brasilians newspaper pages are aware ...

To Brazil’s Lula, Landless Have No Need to Complain

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took advantage of the International Labor Day ...

Ready to Fly to Brazil Obama Finds in Rousseff a Better Interlocutor than Lula

On March 19, President Barack Obama will embark on his first tour of selected ...

Brazil’s Preeminent Baroque Sculptor Was a Fingerless Genius

When you think of baroque, you probably remember the curvy, exaggerated, passionate form of ...

Brazilian Worker’s Parents Visit Scene of Crime and Call for Trial of London’s Police Chief

The parents of Brazilian worker Jean Charles de Menezes have reiterated their demand that ...