Brazil Congress faces legislative deadlock amid presidential vetoes

The Brazilian National Congress has resumed legislative activities facing a backlog of 99 presidential vetoes. Of these, 87 are currently blocking the voting agenda, preventing the advancement of new projects until they are addressed in joint sessions. The pending vetoes impact strategic areas including health, education, public security, and social policies, as well as provisions within the 2026 Budget Guidelines Law (LDO) and Annual Budget Law (LOA).

Parallel to the legislative gridlock, the Supreme Federal Court (STF) has advanced discussions regarding "pautas-bomba" (bomb agendas)—laws that create mandatory expenses or tax benefits without sufficient budgetary allocation or financial impact estimates. During a unanimous ruling regarding education career plans in Curitiba, ministers addressed the constitutional necessity of providing specific funding for new public expenditures.

Minister André Mendonça highlighted the consequences of approving benefits without financial sources across different government administrations, while Minister Cristiano Zanin noted that the Court's current direction represents a significant jurisprudential shift regarding the validity of laws that increase expenditures without prior budgetary authorization.