Brazil’s GDP contraction since mid-2014 has multiple non-fiscal roots but it has morphed into an unsustainable fiscal trajectory. Dealing with the latter has become a precondition for full economic recovery and the Brazilian government has submitted to Congress a constitutional amendment bill mandating a public spending cap for the next 20 years. This piece considers how the Brazilian landscape evolved toward such a precipice and why additional reforms – particularly on pensions – will have to be implemented to make the spending cap feasible.