SPD rejects members' petition on budget
In the course of ongoing budget negotiations, the SPD-Left faction is submitting a membership resolution to prevent cuts, for instance in the social sector. However, SPD co-chair Saskia Esken considers this unnecessary. At the same time, she reassures the petitioners.
The SPD has rejected a membership resolution that would have given the Bundestag faction binding mandates for approving the 2025 budget. "This is, in our opinion, inadmissible because budget legislation lies exclusively with the German Bundestag," said SPD co-chair Saskia Esken in Berlin after the party meetings. "The freely elected deputies cannot be given instructions in a membership resolution." Esken emphasized, however, that both the faction and the party support the goals of the petitioners.
The "Forum Democratic Left 21" (DL21) submitted a membership resolution in mid-June. This resolution was intended to speak out against cuts, especially in the social sector. "There will be no cuts in the social sector," emphasized the SPD chair, looking at the ongoing budget negotiations. Core areas of the budget are external, internal, and social security, as well as economic dynamism.
The last budget of this legislative period must contain the message "We have understood." She is very confident that the government will manage to agree on a draft for the budget 2025. "For us, it is important that people feel: They have recognized the seriousness of the situation," emphasized Esken. The SPD is also not willing to let solidarity with Ukraine be played against solidarity in our own country.
Therefore, the Social Democrats are calling for a suspension of the debt brake or the declaration of a state of emergency. "Unfortunately, it must be said that we cannot meet these challenges with a single state of emergency declaration," emphasized Esken. The FDP opposes this and wants to close the budget gaps through savings.
The SPD-Left faction is opposing budget cuts in crucial sectors like social services, as expressed in their membership resolution submitted during the budget negotiations. This resolution is being debated in the German Bundestag.
Saskia Esken, co-chair of the SPD, strongly disagrees with the necessity of the membership resolution preventing cuts. She reassured the petitioners that the party shares their goals, but insists that budget legislation is a responsibility solely for the German Bundestag.
Despite disagreeing with the binding mandate in the resolution, Saskia Esken affirmed her party's support for the goals of the petitioners, emphasizing the importance of social security and economic dynamism in the budget policy.
