We need to stop this method of doing politics because it causes the Judiciary to legislate
Em Brasília, o presidente Lula reuniu-se com governadores de todo o país para enfrentar uma ferida fiscal aberta desde o governo anterior: a limitação do ICMS sobre combustíveis, que deixou os estados sem R$33,5 bilhões em receitas. O encontro foi mais do que uma negociação tributária — foi um gesto de reconstrução das relações federativas e um apelo à normalidade democrática num país ainda a recuperar-se dos eventos de 8 de janeiro. Na voz de Lula, o desafio fiscal e o desafio político são inseparáveis: sem confiança entre os entes da federação, nenhuma conta fecha.
- Um rombo de R$33,5 bilhões nos cofres estaduais, herdado de uma lei aprovada pelo Congresso em 2022, pressiona governadores de todos os partidos a buscar respostas urgentes do novo governo federal.
- Lula reconheceu abertamente as limitações orçamentárias da União, recusando cheques em branco e propondo que o sacrifício seja distribuído entre os entes federativos.
- A reabertura do BNDES e do Banco do Nordeste como instrumentos de financiamento de infraestrutura estadual surge como a principal alavanca para compensar o que o orçamento direto não pode cobrir.
- O presidente fez um apelo explícito ao fim da 'judicialização' da política, admitindo que aliados seus também recorrem ao Supremo para reverter derrotas legislativas — um hábito que, segundo ele, corrói a democracia representativa.
- O tom do encontro foi de recomeço: Lula prometeu que nenhum governador seria tratado como adversário e anunciou mecanismos para que prefeitos também tenham acesso direto ao governo federal, sem depender de intermediários no Congresso.
Na manhã de sexta-feira, o presidente Lula recebeu no Planalto os governadores dos vinte e seis estados e do Distrito Federal para enfrentar um problema herdado do governo Bolsonaro: a lei de 2022 que classificou combustíveis, energia e transporte como bens essenciais e limitou o ICMS a cerca de 18%, quando muitos estados cobravam mais de 30%. O governador do Espírito Santo, Renato Casagrande, chegou com um número concreto na mão — R$33,5 bilhões em receitas que simplesmente deixarão de entrar nos cofres estaduais.
Lula abriu o encontro reconhecendo o peso da questão e pediu que cada governador apresentasse uma lista de obras prioritárias. Mas foi honesto: o governo federal não dispõe do orçamento que gostaria. A saída, disse ele, passa pelos bancos públicos de desenvolvimento. O BNDES deve voltar à sua vocação original — financiar infraestrutura com paciência e critério —, e o Banco do Nordeste retomará empréstimos aos estados com finanças equilibradas, numa sinalização discreta de que disciplina fiscal será exigida como contrapartida.
O encontro, porém, extrapolou a pauta tributária. Lula aproveitou o momento para defender o fim da 'judicialização' da política — o hábito de levar ao Supremo Tribunal Federal disputas que deveriam ser resolvidas pelo voto no Congresso. Reconheceu que seus próprios aliados praticam isso e defendeu o princípio simples de que a maioria vence e a minoria acata. Para ele, enquanto esse ciclo não se romper, o Judiciário continuará legislando no lugar do Parlamento.
O presidente também evocou o 8 de janeiro como marco de uma ruptura que não pode se repetir, e prometeu que sua porta estará aberta a todos os governadores, independentemente de filiação partidária. A reunião que deveria ter ocorrido nos primeiros dez dias de mandato — impossibilitada pelos ataques às sedes dos três poderes — aconteceu finalmente como um gesto de reconstrução: das finanças estaduais, das relações federativas e da própria confiança na democracia brasileira.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sat down with governors from twenty-six states and the federal district on Friday morning in Brasília to confront a problem that had been eating at them since the final year of his predecessor's term: a massive hole in state tax revenue caused by a fuel subsidy law that no one had figured out how to fix.
The wound was specific and quantifiable. When Jair Bolsonaro's government pushed through legislation in 2022 that classified fuel, electricity, and transportation as essential goods, it capped the ICMS tax—a state-level consumption tax—at roughly eighteen percent on those products. Many states had been collecting more than thirty percent. Renato Casagrande, the governor of Espírito Santo, arrived at the Planalto with a number: thirty-three and a half billion reais. That was the shortfall, the money that simply would not arrive in state coffers because of a law passed by Congress and signed into effect before Lula took office.
Lula opened the meeting by acknowledging what everyone in the room already knew. "The ICMS question is something that's been on your minds since Congress approved it," he said. "And it's something we're going to have to discuss." He asked each governor to bring a list of priority projects—infrastructure work that their states needed done. But he was also honest about the constraints. The federal government did not have the budget it wanted to have. There would be no blank checks. Instead, he framed it as a shared burden: the federal government and the states would have to find a way to distribute the sacrifice.
To ease that burden, Lula outlined a strategy centered on the country's public development banks. He intended to restore the BNDES—the National Bank for Economic and Social Development—to its original purpose as an engine of infrastructure financing. "For it to be a development bank, it has to have the patience and the competence to lend money to governors so they can carry out essential works for their states," he said. The bank would need to share whatever capital it raised among small and large companies, governors, and mayors, depending on the quality and importance of each project. He also promised that the Banco do Nordeste would resume lending to states whose finances were in order—a condition that amounted to a gentle pressure on fiscal discipline.
But the meeting was about more than money. Lula used the occasion to make a broader argument about how Brazilian politics needed to function. He called for an end to what he termed the "judicialization" of politics—the practice of taking legislative disputes to the Supreme Court instead of accepting the outcome of democratic votes. He acknowledged that his own political allies had been guilty of this. "Instead of accepting the democratic rule that the majority wins and the minority complies with what was approved, we appeal to another instance," he said. "We need to stop this method of doing politics because it causes the Judiciary to enter the Legislative branch and legislate instead of Congress."
The president framed this as a return to normalcy and civility. He referenced January 8th—the day when supporters of Bolsonaro had stormed government buildings in an attempt to overturn the election—as a line that could not be crossed again. "We need to guarantee to the Brazilian people that the spread of hatred has ended," he said. He pledged that no governor would be treated as an enemy, regardless of their party affiliation, and that his office doors would remain open. He also announced plans to create a structure within Caixa Econômica Federal—a federal savings bank—so that mayors could have their demands addressed without having to lobby members of Congress.
Lula noted that this meeting should have happened in his first ten days in office. The attacks on January 8th had made that impossible. Now, with the immediate crisis behind him, he was turning to the work of rebuilding relationships between the federal government and the states—relationships that had fractured during the previous administration. The governors had come with their lists of needs. The president had come with a framework for how those needs might be met, and with a larger argument about how Brazilian democracy itself needed to be repaired.
Citas Notables
The ICMS question is something that's been on your minds since Congress approved it, and it's something we're going to have to discuss— President Lula
We need to stop this method of doing politics because it causes the Judiciary to enter the Legislative branch and legislate instead of Congress— President Lula
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did Lula spend so much time talking about the courts and judicial politics at a meeting that was supposed to be about money and infrastructure?
Because the two things are connected. The governors can't plan their infrastructure if they don't know whether Congress's decisions will hold or get overturned by the courts. And more broadly, Lula is trying to reset the entire relationship between the branches of government. He's saying: we need to trust our democratic institutions again.
But the ICMS problem is real—thirty-three and a half billion reais is a lot of money. Can the BNDES actually solve that?
Not entirely. The BNDES can help finance specific projects, but it can't replace the tax revenue that disappeared. What Lula is really saying is: we're going to have to live with this loss and find creative ways to work around it. The banks are a tool, but they're not a cure.
Why would Lula promise to keep his doors open to governors from other parties? Isn't that just politics?
It is politics, but it's a particular kind. He's trying to signal that the previous administration's approach—treating opposition governors as enemies—is over. After January 8th, that message matters. He's saying the federal government won't weaponize its power against states that didn't vote for him.
What happens if a governor's accounts aren't in order? Does that mean they don't get the loans?
That's the leverage. Lula is conditioning access to federal financing on fiscal responsibility. It's a carrot and a stick at the same time. The governors need the money, so they have an incentive to get their finances straight.
Did any governor push back on the idea that they'd have to share the sacrifice?
The source doesn't say. But the fact that they all showed up and brought their lists suggests they understood the reality: there's no magic solution, and federal help is better than nothing.