Brazil Supreme Court judges endorse proposal to block budget‑bypass bills

On Thursday, Justice Gilmar Mendes of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) urged the Court to adopt a binding summary (súmula) that would automatically declare unconstitutional any legislative measure that creates new spending or tax cuts without a specified source of funding. The proposal targets “pautas‑bomba”, constitutional amendments used to bypass the presidential veto and increase public expenses without compensation.

Ministers Dias Toffoli, Cristiano Zanin and André Mendonça publicly backed the initiative. The STF opened a public call for comments on the draft text until the end of August, after which the judges will vote on it in plenary. The Court has previously struck down laws lacking prior budget allocation, such as a payroll‑tax exemption, reinforcing its focus on fiscal responsibility.