Brazil Senate's R$386 bn 'pauta‑bomba' package faces constitutional challenge

The Brazilian Senate approved a fiscal package estimated at up to R$386 billion over ten years, including a R$47 billion increase to doctors' and dentists' salary floors and a R$140 billion renegotiation of large rural producers' debt. The measures are described by the government as a "pauta‑bomba" and have sparked tension between President Luiz Inácio Lula and Senate President Davi Alcolumbre. Supreme Court minister Gilmar Mendes warned that Congress cannot create expenses for states and municipalities without a clear funding source, suggesting the package could be ruled unconstitutional. Earlier commentary noted that cutting parliamentary amendments could save R$550 billion in a decade, and Senate President Alcolumbre remarked that "it will take ten Brasils to pay for this".