The Economy Minister shows his hand

It has been a recurring theme in the Brazilian political news cycle: Congress and the government are staging a tug of war, and President Jair Bolsonaro has done little to calm the nerves. This week, the lower house even began deliberating on a tax reform bill without consulting the Economy Ministry. The proposal will be dead on arrival unless the government backs it up—but the move was an effective display of strength from the Legislative branch. Today, Economy Minister Paulo Guedes is apparently trying a similar display of his own.

A risky bet, one might add.

The minister gave an interview to Brazil’s leading weekly publication Veja, in which he essentially threatens to resign should Congress water down his pension reform bill. Mr. Guedes also painted a dreadful picture of Brazil’s future should the House fail to approve the reform before its mid-year recess—going as far as comparing Brazil to Argentina (a country which has recorded a 55-percent inflation rate over the past 12 months) and Venezuela (which has experienced a full-scale collapse rarely seen in South America).

While...