Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday said that emergency payments to aid the poor in the pandemic could vary from BRL 150 to more than BRL 300 (US$26.36 – US$52.72), while a plan being considered in Congress provides for cash transfers of BRL 250.

“We made an agreement, if I’m not mistaken, of BRL 42 billion for four months of installments of BRL 250, on average,” he told supporters outside his official residence.

“Why on average? There’s a story of a single mother or I don’t know what, so it will vary from BRL 150 to BRL 300 and a bit.”

The Senate approved the plan for four months of payments of BRL 250 each on Thursday. The proposal is set for a vote in the lower house next week.

Brazil’s previous program of emergency payments, which expired in December, cost the government some BRL 322 billion but is credited for a less severe-than-expected economic contraction of 4.1% in 2020.