Politics · Brazil · 1 hr ago
Lula says he did not know Bolsa Família had gone without a raise
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he did not know Bolsa Família had not been raised until he asked ministers about it.
Bolsa Família is a government programme that provides monthly payments to eligible families.
Lula said he ordered a 15.04% increase after learning the payments had not been adjusted for inflation.
The change was announced in September, 17 days before the first round of Brazil’s 2026 election.
The minimum monthly payment rose from 600 to about 690 reais, in the programme’s first general increase since it resumed in March 2023.
The government’s proposed 2027 budget, sent to Congress on August 31, had not included an increase.
Lula said the government had room in the budget to fund the change.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he did not know that Bolsa Família had gone without a general increase.
He said he ordered the benefit raised after learning it had not been adjusted for inflation and asking ministers for explanations.
The government announced a 15.04% increase in September, 17 days before the first round of the 2026 election.
The minimum monthly benefit rose from 600 reais to about 690 reais.
The increase was not included in the government’s 2027 budget proposal sent to Congress on August 31.
- Who
- Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he was unaware that Bolsa Família had not been adjusted.
- What
- The government announced a 15.04% increase in the benefit, which Lula said he ordered after learning it had gone without an adjustment.
- When
- Lula spoke on Thursday, October 15, 2026. The increase was announced in September, 17 days before the first round of the 2026 election.
- Where
- Lula made the remarks in an interview with Renata Lo Prete on TV Globo.
- Why
- Lula said he ordered the increase because the benefit had not been adjusted for inflation and there was fiscal room to raise it.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Bolsa Família was relaunched, and the September increase was described as the first general adjustment since then.
The government sent Congress a 2027 budget proposal that did not include an adjustment to Bolsa Família.
The government announced a 15.04% increase in Bolsa Família, 17 days before the first round of the 2026 election.
Lula said in a TV Globo interview that he had not known the benefit went without an adjustment and that he ordered the increase.
- Increase
- 15.04%
- Minimum monthly benefit before increase
- 600 reais
- Minimum monthly benefit after increase
- About 690 reais
- Budget proposal
- 2027 proposal sent to Congress on August 31 did not include the adjustment
- Election timing
- Increase announced 17 days before the first round of the 2026 election
2 sources
What people are saying
I did not know, because it is inexplicable, Renata, it is inexplicable that, in Lula's government, someone would think of not adjusting, you know, people's wages for inflation. It is unthinkable. But it happened.
No, what happened was that I found out Bolsa Família had not been increased and I asked why Bolsa Família had not been increased. If there is fiscal room to increase it, why not increase it?