Today, we break down the government’s budget proposal for 2021. A curious coronavirus case could change how we understand the pandemic. And the battle for Rio de Janeiro.
Amid pandemic, Brazil slashes health budget
Judging by the Economy Ministry’s wishful budget proposal for 2021, Covid-19 will no longer be an issue in Brazil as of December 31. Not only did the government not factor in a potential extension of the state of public calamity approved by Congress in March, but it also slashed the Health Ministry’s budget for next year to BRL 136.7 billion (USD 24.9 billion) — even less than the BRL 138.9 billion expected before Covid-19 kicked off. Reporter Natália Scalzaretto breaks the proposal down:
Restraints. The Health Ministry is not the only one to face cuts in 2021, being accompanied by Environment, Infrastructure, and Mines and Energy. On the flip side, other departments — such as Education, Defense, Economy, and Communications — saw their budget rise.
- In the case of the Economy Ministry, the increase is explained by a bump in payments of pensions and benefits. As we showed in the last Weekly Report, nearly 45 percent of the population is receiving some form of...