To be fully honest with you I was not aware of the recent visa increase which according to your post occurred in the last several weeks. I can say though with total certainty that previous to this every increase WAS started by the Brazilians and they started the whole charge game in the first place.

What your post does not state, and has been known to happen (happened once with Turkey) is that the government announced a visa fee increase way in advance for a certain date. The US announced that it would match it from that date and then for whatever reason (intentional or unintentional) they delayed the increase (which would conveniently make them look good and the US bad).

I would really want to see the Press Release issued by the US embassy in Brasilia (and any pertinant releases going back several months) before I made a full conclusion on this matter. (Especially as I once confronted the vice counsel of the Brazilian consulate in NY on this same matter, and he backed down and admitted what I already knew that the Brazilians had always been the instigators of fees, while the US had been the instigator of visas)