Millions of Brazilians — and likely the president's reelection campaign — will get a hefty boost from a measure approved by Brazil's Congress that sharply raises subsidies for the poor less than three months before presidential voting.
Lawmakers voted Wednesday to declare a state of emergency that waives a constitutional cap on government spending. That will allow the equivalent of about $7.6 billion to increase welfare benefits, from 400 to 600 reais (about $110) a month, as well as a subsidy for cooking gas and new cash-transfer programs for truck drivers and taxis, among other measures.
