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Users are uneasy about the future of the national Federal Vale-Gás program. This concern has solid grounds. The Provisional Measure (MP) establishing the additional payment for the social project is about to expire. If the National Congress does not approve the MP by the end of this week, the program could suffer a 50% cut in its amount.
Unofficial information indicates that government allies are seriously distressed by the situation. So far, there is no set date for the vote on the MP, which includes the additional payments of the national Vale-Gás benefit. The MP must be voted on both in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Federal Senate.
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Two alternatives for the government
Based on unofficial information, it can be stated that the government is considering two possible outcomes for the situation.
Two alternatives for the government
Scenario 1
The Federal Government's first option is to continue fighting for approval of the MP in the National Congress until the deadline. This would be the most advantageous scenario for the Executive Branch. In an interview, the government's leader in Congress, Senator Randolfe Rodrigues, stated that he believes he will be able to get the MP approved by the end of this week.
“Our mission, our commitment, our effort is to deliver it to the president of the Republic by Thursday. I, the government leader in the Senate, Jaques Wagner, the government leader in the Chamber of Deputies, José Guimarães, and the entire government’s political coordination are committed to this. The priority is delivering the provisional measures,” he declared.
Scenario 2
However, members of the Federal Government internally acknowledge the real possibility that the document will not be approved by the officially established deadline. Therefore, allies of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) are preparing a Plan B to be implemented if the provisional measure expires.
The proposal is to maintain the additional national Gas Aid benefit through a decree. This way, citizens would not have to receive less if the provisional measure is not approved. However, this option could be risky, as the opposition could argue that the Federal Government is engaging in a potentially illegal legal maneuver.
Understanding the legal issue
The situation is complex and quite unprecedented in the National Congress. The provision establishing the creation of the national Gas Voucher supplement was included by the Federal Government in the original text of the Family Grant provisional measure.
The Family Grant provisional measure should not expire this week, but only at the end of next June. On the other hand, the provision in the measure creating a supplement for the national Gas Voucher will expire as early as June 1. There are, therefore, a variety of different opinions on what to do in situations like this.
The national Gas Voucher supplement: what was it like?
Originally, the text establishing the Gas Voucher program states that the Federal Government must always pay 50% of the national average price of a 13-kilogram gas cylinder, a rate defined by the National Petroleum Agency (ANP).
How it was amended by the provisional measure
Last year, the National Congress allowed the Federal Government, then led by former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), to increase this payment rate to 100% of the national average price of a gas cylinder. This new rule would be valid until December, and that is what happened.
Upon assuming the presidency, Lula (PT) decided to publish a provisional measure on the matter. In this document, he determined that the Government would continue paying 100% of the average price of a gas cylinder. A provisional measure has the force of law as soon as it is published, but it must be approved by the National Congress within a period of up to four months.
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How it may be
If the National Congress approves the provisional measure, the document is officially transformed into law. If it does not approve it, the national Vale-gás returns to its previous format, that is, with the Government paying 50% of the average price of a gas cylinder.
