House of Representatives to vote on declaring state of calamity

Speaker Rodrigo Maia said the House will vote today on a decree to declare a state of calamity in Brazil, increasing the government’s fiscal margin for redirecting funds to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. In a press briefing, he said the vote is likely to take all night and, if approved, the bill will move forward to the Senate. 

“The solution for this crisis is a fiscal one (…) And declaring a state of calamity gives us the fiscal room,” he said.  

Mr. Maia also slammed the government’s inactivity, quoting the lack of controls in airports to screen for potential Covid-19 symptoms in passengers. He also said today’s priority is voting on the bill, and not an evening meeting scheduled by President Jair Bolsonaro involving him, the president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre, and Supreme Court Chief Justice Dias Toffoli.

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