01/10/2026
One-third of the work plans for Pix amendments earmarked for construction projects in 2025 do not adequately specify what will be done with the funds or where, according to a survey by Transparência Brasil released on Thursday (Oct. 1, 2026). There are 1,796 plans registered on Transferegov, totaling R$1.49 billion, with insufficient data to enable public oversight.
The survey analyzed the 5,767 work plans for public works projects approved by the federal government, totaling R$4.89 billion. The plan is completed by the state or municipality receiving the amendment, and its approval by federal government agencies is a prerequisite for the release of funds.
The “undetailed” budget amendments do not specify the location or describe what will be done, lacking even basic details about a project. In most cases, the “objectives” field simply repeats the text of the project description. In Tauá (CE), for example, a R$4.95 million plan lists only “urban drainage.” The plan does not specify whether the project involves micro-drainage, such as storm drains, or macro-drainage, such as stream channeling. Plans in this condition make it impossible to assess whether the cost is commensurate with the work to be performed.
Of the 480 lawmakers who allocated Pix amendments to projects in 2025, 406 (85%) allocated funds to at least one work plan lacking details. The largest amounts allocated without adequate data came from Senators Giordano (Podemos-SP), Ciro Nogueira (PP-PI), and Marcelo Castro (MDB-PI), as well as Representatives Elcione Barbalho (MDB-PA), Dr. Alessandra Haber (Podemos-PA), and Roseana Sarney (MDB-MA).
“While it is up to the recipient entities to fill out the data, it is the legislator who has the power to decide who will receive public funds, in what amount, and for what purpose. Therefore, they have a responsibility to ensure transparency and the proper use of these appropriations,” states Juliana Sakai, executive director of Transparência Brasil.
Transparência Brasil also found that the federal government’s process for approving work plans needs improvement, as it lacks standardization, does not require detailed information, and even results in the removal of data provided by beneficiaries for approval.
Work plans became mandatory in 2025
“Pix Amendments” is the colloquial name for individual amendments under the special transfer category, created by Constitutional Amendment No. 105/2019. Until 2024, they functioned similarly to federal government grants. Beneficiary states and municipalities had almost unlimited discretion in the use of these funds, without prior planning.
Funds committed under this category rose from R$ 620 million in 2020 to R$ 6.97 billion in 2025. Following rulings by the Federal Supreme Court in Direct Unconstitutionality Actions 7688 and 7695 and in the Motion for Non-Compliance with a Fundamental Precept 854, the National Congress passed Complementary Law No. 210/2024. The law now requires lawmakers to state the general purpose of the amendment and for the beneficiary to submit a detailed work plan. In 2025, for the first time, Pix amendments began to include structured data on their implementation.
Transparência Brasil acknowledges that the requirement for a plan and prior analysis represented a significant step forward, and that Transferegov has increased transparency regarding this mechanism through dashboards and open data. The organization believes, however, that the formal existence of the plan does not, in and of itself, guarantee accountability regarding the amendments.
Recommendations
Transparência Brasil emphasizes that it is essential for the federal government to improve and standardize the process by which sectoral agencies analyze and issue opinions, requiring beneficiaries to include a detailed and measurable scope and objectives in their work plans as a condition for the release of funds.
Transparência Brasil also stresses that lawmakers must monitor the work plans linked to their amendments and require beneficiaries to register, on Transferegov, complete and specific information about what will be done and where.