Good morning! We’re covering the latest move by Speaker Rodrigo Maia on Brazil’s political chessboard. Another important trial in the Supreme Court. And the hiccups with the Brazilian currency. (This newsletter is for platinum subscribers only. Become one now!)
The Maia game for 2022
Flanked by what has been known as the “modern wing” of Congress, House Speaker Rodrigo Maia launched his own anti-poverty agenda on Tuesday. The set of proposals has five fundamental axes, aimed at curbing the rise of poverty levels—but “within the limits of what the federal budget allows.” Here are the pillars of the project:
- Raises to Bolsa Família payments, including an extra stipend for kids up to 6 years old, based on recommendations from the World Bank;
- Allowing people to access their compulsory severance fund—as long as they keep at least the equivalent of 12 times the minimum wage;
- Universalization of basic sanitation services, which only reach half of the population;
- Subsidized loans to an endowment fund for low-income families who want to open their own businesses—even if informally;
- Incentives for states and municipalities that lower poverty rates.
Agenda-setting. “I consider this project as essential as the structural reforms,” said Mr. Maia. That is an...