Rousseff takes message from Executive to Congress in person

Against all expectations, President Dilma Rousseff will pay a visit to the National Congress Tuesday (Feb. 2) to hand over the message from the Executive during the re-opening of the activities at the Legislative branch. The change in plans, implemented after Congress head Renan Calheiros met with Rousseff Monday (1), signals an attempt by the president to seek more support from both congressional houses.

In the presidential message, apart from listing fiscal adjustment proposals approved in 2015, the Brazilian head of state will draw support for the new measures, which, in the government's view, are crucial to resume economic growth, such as the reform in social security and the return of the Temporary Tax on Financial Transactions, known as CPMF.

According to the president's chief of staff, Jaques Wagner, the president will also use the message to argue for the need to take action against the Aedes aegypti, which transmits dengue and chikungunya fevers as well as the Zika virus. According to the Jaques Wagner, the impeachment calls against the president are not expected to be mentioned in the statement.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira