The National Congress approved this Thursday (4) the Budget Guidelines Law (LDO) of 2026, which sets rules for the Budget and establishes, for the first time, a mandatory schedule for the payment of parliamentary amendments. The proposal goes to presidential sanction after analyzing one last highlight.
The LDO defines that sixty-five percent of the mandatory amendments must be released by July of next year. The measure includes individual, bench amendments and so-called special transfers, known as “Pix amendments”.
The creation of this calendar was a long-standing demand from the Legislature. This year, however, the pressure has increased because 2026 will be an election year, and parliamentarians are seeking to ensure that resources reach their bases before the campaign.
The approved text was the report by deputy Gervásio Maia. It passed the Joint Budget Committee on Wednesday, after months of delays that pushed the vote to December.
The creation of the proposal involved intense negotiations between the government and party leaders. The rapporteur incorporated into the document a provision that complies with the Executive by allowing the floor of the primary result target to be considered in the expenditure limitation mechanism.
Meanwhile, Congress is still separately evaluating the Party Fund readjustment rule. The commission approved a change that changes the calculation base to the amount authorized in 2016, following the fiscal framework, with the possibility of an increase of up to two point five percent above inflation. Technicians estimate an impact of approximately one hundred and sixty million reais. Maia tried to block the change, but was defeated.
The rapporteur also included an addendum that benefits the Post Office. The device makes it possible to disregard, when calculating the primary deficit, expenses of state-owned companies that have a financial rebalancing plan in force, limited to ten billion reais.
During the session, Maia accepted a proposal from PL and PP that prohibits the federal government from adopting measures considered capable of influencing the 2026 electoral process. The section prevents the creation of new mandatory expenses next year, except for exceptions provided for by law, and vetoes the formation of funds aimed at public policies. The restrictions do not apply in calamity situations recognized by Congress.
The approval of the LDO clears the way for voting on the 2026 Annual Budget Law. Congressmen have already validated the preliminary opinion last Wednesday, which provides for forty billion and eight hundred million reais in mandatory amendments.
Next week, sectoral reports that distribute resources between areas such as health, education, culture, work and tourism will be analyzed.
The expectation of the president of the Budget Committee, Efraim Filho, is to complete the analysis of the LOA by December 17th. Congress needs to approve the text by the twenty-second, the last day before the recess.
