Overview

• At a Teachers' Day event in Rio de Janeiro, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Congress "never had such a low level" and criticized the extreme right elected in 2022.
• Chamber President Hugo Motta, who was present and faced boos as the audience chanted "no amnesty," later said he believes the critique was aimed at the far right rather than Congress as an institution.
• Motta defended the legislature's record, noting it approved most of the government's agenda with changes, and urged calm to avoid further polarization.
• PL leader Sóstenes Cavalcante rebuked Lula on X, telling him to "wash his mouth with alcohol" and demanding respect for Congress.
• The confrontation comes as the government seeks alternatives after an investment-tax provisional measure lapsed, with the 2026 Budget Guidelines bill scheduled for a vote next week.