São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB) issued a decree on March 13 reallocating R$51.9 million from the 2026 budget, cutting bus subsidies and elderly programs to fund road works and Autódromo de Interlagos upgrades. The PT opposition criticizes the freezes, while city hall downplays the effect. Councilors demanded explanations from the Sports Secretariat.
Ricardo Nunes, São Paulo's mayor from the MDB party, formalized on March 13 via decree the reallocation of R$51.9 million in the city's 2026 budget. Funds primarily came from bus system fare compensation subsidies totaling R$43.5 million, debt interest payments, and cuts in other programs, including R$1 million from the 'Incentivo à Prática de Esportes para a Pessoa Idosa' initiative, with another R$9 million frozen.
The money went toward road interventions, with R$39 million for works and R$4.2 million for services, plus R$7.1 million for refurbishing Autódromo de Interlagos. This came a week before the city hall granted free use of the track for the Lollapalooza festival the prior weekend, unlike 2025 when it collected R$2.7 million.
The PT bench in the Municipal Council noted that of the R$51 million budgeted for elderly policies in 2026, R$49.8 million is blocked, leaving just R$275,000 available without commitments. On March 25, the Finance and Budget Commission approved a request by Councilor João Ananias (PT) for timelines, justifications, and impacts from the Municipal Secretariat of Sports and Leisure.
City hall countered that the cut is 'residual' within R$5.4 billion allocated to elderly policies in 2026, with funds shifted internally to the Sports Secretariat. It called the move a 'legitimate and routine' procedure and highlighted a new social agenda for seniors, with R$23 billion planned through 2029. However, the decree lists the funds as sources for additional credits to roads and the autodrome, without noting internal reallocation.
