Brazil's 2026 Budget Sector Reports Approved with Health Funding Shortfall Highlighted
Brazil’s budget committee has approved the 2026 sector reports highlighting a shortfall in health sector funding despite increased parliamentary amendments.
- • Comissão Mista de Orçamento approved 16 sector reports including Health, Women and Human Rights, and Infrastructure for the 2026 budget.
- • Health sector received nearly 32% of parliamentary amendments totaling R$ 21.4 billion but still falls R$ 2.7 billion short of constitutional funding requirements.
- • Women and Human Rights budget faced a reduction compared to 2025, while Infrastructure secured R$ 756 million in state amendments.
- • Final budget report to be published on October 15 and voted on October 17.
Key details
The Comissão Mista de Orçamento of Brazil's National Congress finalized the approval of 16 sector reports for the 2026 federal budget, including critical sectors such as Health, Women and Human Rights, Cities, and Infrastructure. The final report is scheduled for publication on October 15, followed by a vote on October 17, as announced by committee president Senator Efraim Filho (União-PB).
Health funding dominated parliamentary amendments, accounting for nearly 32% of the 7,408 changes with R$ 21.4 billion allocated, raising the Ministry of Health's budget to R$ 262 billion. However, Senator Veneziano Vital do Rêgo (MDB-PB), the health sector's relator, cautioned that despite these amendments, the budget remains R$ 2.7 billion below the constitutional minimum required for health actions. He indicated an additional R$ 6 billion in amendments might still be added to the final report.
In contrast, the Women and Human Rights sector experienced a budget decrease, with a proposal reduction of R$ 169.2 million compared to 2025, a point highlighted by relator Soraya Santos (PL-RJ), who urged against cuts in this sensitive area. The Infrastructure report was strengthened by 30 state amendments totaling R$ 756 million, emphasizing the need for prompt execution ahead of election year constraints.
These sector reports will be consolidated into the final budget proposal by general relator Deputy Isnaldo Bulhões Jr. (MDB-AL). The deliberations reflect Brazil’s ongoing challenges in balancing budget priorities, particularly maintaining constitutional mandates in health funding amid competing demands.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.