Hello, this is The Brazilian Report‘s Weekly Report. In this issue, plenty on pension reform, old-style politics in Congress today, bursting dams, and more…
The week in review
Pensions. The House passed—on the first of two roll call votes—the pension reform bill on Wednesday (more below). The House, however, faced enormous pressure from organized groups, such as various unions representing teachers, public servants, and law enforcement agents. As a result, many amendments were approved on Thursday and Friday, cutting savings down to a lower-than-expected sum of around BRL 670bn over ten years. After struggling to bring forward the 2nd round of votes, the government threw in the towel, eventually conceding that the House will only be done with the reform in August.
Diplomacy. President Jair Bolsonaro has confirmed he intends to name his son Eduardo to the most important position in Brazilian diplomacy: serving as ambassador to the U.S. Since the new government took office, Eduardo Bolsonaro has maintained a higher profile than the actual Foreign Minister, Ernesto AraĂşjo, having met with several far-right leaders worldwide. The pick became public only a day after Eduardo turned 35, the minimum age for a Brazilian ambassador. Many diplomats and politicians expressed...