Today: The government-backed emergency aid program returns as poverty rates skyrocket and the president’s popularity plummets. Lula gains momentum for 2022. And Congress unwilling to go after Bolsonaro.
The emergency aid returns
The federal government begins to issue benefit payments today as part of the new coronavirus emergency aid program. The scheme will give vulnerable workers four monthly payments of between BRL 150 (USD 27) for people who live alone, and BRL 375 (USD 66) for single mothers. The average payment will be BRL 250, which is not enough to lift people with no income above the extreme poverty line (USD 1.90 per day).
Why it matters. While this new cash-transfer program will not have nearly the same positive impact as the 2020 version — which was the biggest wealth distribution initiative in Brazilian history — it will bring some much-needed relief to millions of families.
- The 2020 emergency aid scheme cut Brazil’s extreme poverty rates to their lowest levels on record: 3.3 percent of people.
- Per think tank Fundação Getulio Vargas, 9.5 million Brazilians lived in poverty back in August 2020 — a number that jumped to 27.3 million in February. “It is the worst situation of...