FDP sees budget dispute about to be resolved soon
In the dispute over the budget for 2025, time is running short. FDP fraction leader Dürr is still optimistic about a soon-to-be reached agreement. Priorities would be Defense, internal security, infrastructure, and education. SPD fraction vice Post also mentions the social welfare system and once again opposes the debt brake.
FDP fraction leader Christian Dürr expressed confidence in the stability of the traffic light coalition and the timely completion of the difficult budget negotiations to the "Rheinische Post". "There will be a unified budget, and we are not under time pressure but can meet all deadlines in the Bundestag and Bundesrat," said Dürr. "The most important thing is to set priorities. We can't fulfill all wishes. The focus of this budget will be on defense policy, internal security, infrastructure, and education," said Dürr.
"To finance this in the future, we need an economic recovery. We reject, however, pouring money into it from the budget with debt. Two-thirds of the ministries in the government have already set their budgets for 2025 and adhered to the guidelines. The rest will follow, I am sure," emphasized the FDP politician. He described governing in the coalition as challenging. "When I was a schoolchild, I sometimes came home knowing that this wouldn't be a nice afternoon due to difficult homework. But we still worked through it. The to-do list of the traffic light government still has a lot on it. Previous governments have solved conflicts by borrowing money from taxpayers, increasing debts. We do it differently," said Dürr.
SPD Vice Post: Application of the emergency clause in the Basic Law
The FDP fraction leader called for targeted and stricter sanctions for welfare recipients who do not comply with the rules. "It must be possible to bring more people into regular employment, which will also relieve the budget," said Dürr to the newspaper. "That's why we should also raise the earning limits for welfare even further, so that it becomes more attractive for people to start working," said he. Dürr welcomed the fact that the SPD wants to toughen sanctions for welfare recipients caught working in the black market. He also demanded bolder steps from the coalition partners in pension policy. "I welcome very much that the SPD is now thinking about a more flexible pension entry. We are too rigid on the way with the pension at 63 or 67. We have to get rid of that," said Dürr.
SPD fraction vice Achim Post called for all options for financing the budget for 2025 to be considered - also a higher credit limit. "For us, it is a priority that the federal budget for 2025 focuses on the strengthening of external, internal, and social security. Security aspects should not be played off against each other," said Post to the "Rheinische Post". The SPD politician voted for the application of the emergency clause in the Basic Law. "This allows for a higher credit limit in crisis situations, I think of the effects of the war in Ukraine and several national flood disasters in recent history," so the SPD politician. The FDP rules out the suspension of the debt brake strictly.
FDP's Dürr continues to support the debt brake in budget policy, stating that while financing priorities, they reject using debt to fund economic recovery. SPD vice Post, on the other hand, proposes considering a higher credit limit to finance the budget and has voted for the application of the emergency clause in the Basic Law.
