Brazil’s finance and planning ministries are seeking to tighten spending controls through a bill already before Congress, in a move that could save about 10 billion reais ($1.94 billion) next year if lawmakers approve it. The proposal would activate fiscal triggers when the government’s revenue and spending report ahead of the annual budget projects a primary deficit, limiting the growth of spending mandates created by ordinary legislation in the following fiscal year. Because the latest fiscal report projected a 52 billion reais primary deficit this year, the restrictions would already apply to next year’s budget. Under the plan, programs governed by non-constitutional rules would not be allowed to grow faster than the real spending cap under Lula’s fiscal framework, which permits annual increases of 0.6% to 2.5%. The government also wants to exclude oil revenue transferred to the Social Fund from the calculation of mandatory health spending, preventing windfall oil income from automatically lifting expenditures linked to net current revenue. The triggers would remain until Brazil records an annual primary surplus. The push comes as investors question President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s willingness to pursue a stronger fiscal adjustment amid rapidly rising public debt, and as Lula seeks reelection in October.