In an event with Lula, unites criticize framework and calls for more spending on education

The National Students Union (UNE) presented on Thursday, 17, to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a letter with criticism of the tax framework and requested for more expenses to face pockets in the 2026 elections.

The letter was read by students to the president during the 60th UNE Congress, held in Goiânia. Lula heard the speech alongside his wife, the first lady Rosângela da Silva, known as “Janja”. In the end, he greeted the students and took a picture next to them with the Brazilian flag.

The UNE letter states that it is not possible to “conceive a country project that puts rules as rigid as those of the tax framework, in the Education Budget. On the contrary, it is necessary to advance in university autonomy, ensuring a fixed budget for federal universities, so that these institutions do not be in instability and with Pires at hand in the face of crises”.

The document read by the students also says that “education is an important instrument for our country to be done as a sovereign and developed nation” and that there is “a long way to go to overcome our ills and historical inequalities.” To this end, they asked UNE students, it would be necessary to remove from the tax frames limit, one of the main measures of the economic team of Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, priority expenses.

“There is no way to think of a Brazil of the future with education, science, health and social rights within the fiscal framework. To overcome the far-right fake news, income concentration, destruction, we need to resume the role of the state and pointing out wide investments in these areas, and crashing the ideological battle with the people,” the document says.

As showed the Political BroadcastEven before Lula arrived at the event, students sang against the tax framework and asked for more resources in education.

Trump

At the same time, the president said that “it is not a gringo that will give order to this President of the Republic.” Lula was cheered at the event at various times, especially when referring to US President Donald Trump.

The president did a metaphor using the game Truco. He said that “when the guy trucks, we have to choose: I run or scream ‘six’ in his ear. I’m playing. Brazil likes negotiation.”