Government gives Congress 120 days to debate super-salaries and promises nobody will earn less during the discussion

The fiscal package sent to Congress allows 120 days to debate super-salaries. The text does not say what happens on day 121. According to the Planalto, the omission is deliberate.

The committee will have 30 members, all paid above the constitutional pay cap. The rules of procedure guarantee impartiality: none of them earns less than the subject under debate.

An aide who asked not to be identified explained the timetable. "The deadline is there to make it look like there is urgency. If there were urgency, it wouldn't be a deadline, it would be a law."

The package also provides for a working group to define what counts as a super-salary. Its first meeting has been scheduled for after the recess. The 120 days only start counting after that.

A retired civil servant from Goiânia, who is still footing the bill for the discussion, asked how much the debate costs. The answer was left for the second phase, which will also have a committee.