Brazil's Lula summons ministers as Congress seeks to dilute environmental powers

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's former President and presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva holds a news conference along with Former Minister of Environment Marina Silva, after casting his vote during the presidential election, in Sao Bernardo do Campo, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil October 30, 2022. REUTERS/Mariana Greif/File Photo

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday summoned his environmental and indigenous affairs ministers for emergency talks after a congressional committee passed a bill gutting the ministries' environmental oversight powers.

The measure, which requires approval on the lower house floor and the Senate to pass, represents Lula's first major clash with a newly conservative Congress that saw a significant intake of right-wing lawmakers in last year's election.