INSS crisis challenges Sidônio's communication strategy in Lula's government

Sidônio Palmeira took over as Minister of the Communications Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic in January, amid the Pix crisis, and was presented as a “renewal” for the government area.

The minister has almost daily meetings with the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). Since he entered the government, one of Sidônio's focuses has been to unify his discourse with ministers and advisors from the departments, which does not always work. For example, the public criticism of the Chief of Staff, Rui Costa, of the head of the Office of the Comptroller General of the Union, Vinícius Carvalho, even in the midst of the INSS crisis. Sidônio argues that, before diving headfirst into the 2026 elections, it is necessary to win 2025.

Faced with the growing threat of a Joint Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPMI) in Congress to investigate fraud at the INSS, government officials are still struggling to decide whether or not to support the creation of the committee. To CNN , members of the party's base reported that they had not received general guidance on how to deal with the case from the beginning.

On Friday (16), Sidônio went to Alvorada for a meeting with Lula and other ministers to discuss the crisis. After the meeting, on social media, the Minister of the Secretariat for Institutional Relations, Gleisi Hoffmann, said that CPIs are the prerogative of the Legislature. However, she stressed that a commission of this type could compromise the police investigation and delay compensation to victims.

Meanwhile, the opposition is attacking the government – ​​especially on social media. A Quaest survey shows that the scheme was the most discussed topic in public groups on messaging apps between April 21 and May 7. The posts had an average daily reach of 818,000 people, with more than 3.6 million messages about the case.

The fraud even surpassed other issues in the spotlight at the time, such as the health of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), the Pix crisis and the amnesty project for those convicted of January 8. The issue had three peaks of repercussion: on the day of the first operation, on the day of the Federal Police report and when congressman Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) released a video blaming the Lula government for the fraud.

“There is no communication ambiguity, in our view, in what happens in the decisions taken by the various government bodies – which has been acting up to the news that reaches the newspapers and the population in general,” Senator Eliziane Gama (PSD-MA), a member of the government base, told CNN .

At the same time, the government continues to struggle to make itself heard on social media. Sidônio's bet is to portray Lula in more popular language, engaging in direct dialogue with the population.

Another directive from the minister calls for attention to leaks of unofficial information and quick reactions to fake news. Even so, government supporters admit that they continue to lose on social media.

Lula's allies believe that Sidônio knows where the problem lies in communication, but that successive crises are hindering the implementation of the work. Whether due to the actions of the opposition or statements by members of Lula's own administration. In recent months, the main crises have been those involving Pix, the INSS, and TikTok during an official trip to China.

There are allies who also believe that important programs were not properly explored, or ended up involved in some problem, such as Pé de Meia, a financial incentive program for public high school students. The opposition even recognizes Sidônio's work, but believes that the problem goes further.

“After Sidônio’s arrival, there was an effort to better coordinate government communication, but it proved futile and unproductive, because, in practice, there is a huge distance between people’s real world and official communication,” federal deputy Mendonça Filho (União Brasil-PE) told CNN .

Planning Minister Simone Tebet has already said that she considers communication to be the government's biggest problem, although she praised Sidônio. In her view, the government is unable to show progress in public policies in the face of the existing polarization.

In any case, although at a slow pace, the Planalto has been regaining popularity since Sidônio's arrival. At the beginning of the year, a Datafolha poll showed that 35% of Brazilians approved the government, while 34% disapproved. In February, approval fell to 24%. Disapproval rose to 41%. In April, before the INSS crisis, the positive evaluation had risen to 29%. The negative evaluation had fallen to 38%.

Now, there is a possibility that the figures will be affected by the social security scandal. In addition to Lula, some of those most interested in the figures are the leaders of the centrist party. Depending on their moods, they will decide whether or not to support the current president in 2026.