Kubicki puts Kühnert in his place in the budget dispute
During the pivotal week of the traffic light coalition's household dispute, SPD and Liberals' squabbles continue. FDP Vice President Kubicki challenges SPD General Secretary Kühnert. The latter had portrayed Finance Minister Lindner as a subordinate of Chancellor Scholz.
FDP Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki refuted SPD's claim, according to which the Social Democrats should have the final say in the current household dispute. "Christian Lindner is not the Chancellor's employee," Kubicki told the "Tagesspiegel" regarding the FDP Finance Minister. Lindner insists on adhering to the debt brake, while the Social Democrats have been seeking a power word from Chancellor Olaf Scholz for an extended credit acquisition for weeks.
With his clarification, Kubicki reacted in the "Tagesspiegel" to SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert's statements regarding the budget for 2025. Kühnert opposed a complete closure of the budget gaps through cuts and referred to his party's leadership role in the traffic light coalition. "The Finance Minister is in office on the Chancellor's proposal - not the other way around," Kühnert told the "Stuttgarter Zeitung" and the "Stuttgarter Nachrichten."
Kubicki countered in the "Tagesspiegel," stating that Kühnert's statements were "surprisingly unpolitical." "I thought he knew that in a coalition, all partners are equally strong. Without the approval of one, there is no common majority," he added.
"Not close the entire gap with savings"
"Olaf Scholz is - like the entire SPD - convinced that we are confronted with crises and crisis costs that were not foreseeable in the long term," Kühnert emphasized. "From the Jusos to the Chancellor, we all share the skepticism that it is possible and meaningful to close the entire gap in the budget through savings." However, his party is also willing to compromise, "sometimes even painfully."
In fact, Scholz had previously supported Lindner in the household dispute. The "Stern" reported in mid-May that Scholz held his own party accountable. "The budget framework for the federal budget is clear, it is given by tax revenues and the constitution." Exceptions to the debt brake he rejected. "We should not make life too easy for ourselves. Sweating is currently on the agenda."
The talks between Scholz, Lindner, and Economic Minister Robert Habeck were also intensified over the weekend. The goal of the federal government is to pass the budget for the coming year in the cabinet by July 17. To achieve this, a political agreement on the key points must be reached in the coming days at the latest.
- Despite the disagreements within the traffic light coalition, FDP Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki defended FDP Finance Minister Christian Lindner, stating that he is not Chancellor Olaf Scholz's employee, as claimed by SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert.
- SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert, in response to FDP's budget policy, expressed his party's stance on closing the budget gaps, stating that they are not only willing to compromise but also skeptical about the feasibility of closing the entire gap through savings, a view shared by the entire SPD, including Chancellor Scholz.
- In the financial dispute between the coalition partners, Finance Minister Lindner has been adamant about adhering to the debt brake, a position supported by Chancellor Scholz, who previously held his own party accountable for abiding by the budget framework and rejecting exceptions to the debt brake.
