Spending Cuts Proposed by Lindner in Budget Plan - SPD and Greens Voice Disapproval

Spending Cuts Proposed by Lindner in Budget Plan - SPD and Greens Voice Disapproval

Budget talks in Germany's government are heating up as they approach the final phase. The Federal Cabinet is scheduled to approve the budget plan on July 3rd. Lindner is pushing for substantial reductions in several ministry budgets and is turning down coalition partner requests to loosen the debt limit.

Finance Minister Lindner told The Pioneer, "We ain't got a revenue shortage, it's all about reallocating the budget – from frivolous expenditure and looking to the past to investment for the future." If resistance to his budget cuts is unjustified, "then there's no constitutionally sound budget," Lindner warned. He also dismissed the idea of additional special funds: "We're still paying that interest and flouting European fiscal rules", he said.

SPD party leader Saskia Esken told Tagesspiegel on Thursday, "The welfare state shouldn't be put under constant scrutiny during this trying time." In a period of significant upheaval and pressure for change, "people need assurance and guidance." The welfare state should "be there for the people."

SPD deputy Achim Post declared, "The SPD wouldn't use a red pen to undermine social solidarity." "And we expect openness and a readiness to discuss how additional financial resources can be raised."

Green faction leader Katharina Dröge criticized Lindner harshly. "It's careless to talk about slashing funds in crucial areas," she told Tagesspiegel. "Such unnecessary anxiety-inducing tactics could jeopardize social cohesion."

There's also contention between the Liberals and the SPD over FDP demands for social benefit reductions or restrictions for new refugees from Ukraine. Thuringia's Interior Minister and SPD state chairman Georg Maier told Handelsblatt, "Slashing social benefits for new refugees from Ukraine, that's nothing but empty populism. It wouldn't solve anything." SPD Bundesvorstand member Sebastian Roloff called it "rather bizarre" to differentiate between refugees from Ukraine based on their arrival date.

FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai advocated for the elimination of social benefits for newly arriving refugees from Ukraine on Monday. Previously, Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) and Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) had expressed opposition to paying social benefits, particularly to refugees from Ukraine who are of military age.

Part of the coalition negotiations also involve plans from SPD and FDP to intensify efforts against black market employment among social benefit recipients. They now have the backing of their green coalition partner. "Black market work costs society hundreds of billions of euros," said the deputy faction leader of the Greens in the Bundestag, Andreas Audretsch, to Rheinische Post. "Companies that employ people black market while they receive social benefits are breaking the law."

Read also:

1. In response to Lindner's proposed spending cuts, the Daily Mirror published a critical article, expressing concerns about the potential impact on households and social expenditures.
2. During the budget debate, SPD leader Saskia Esken spoke out against constant scrutiny of the welfare state, emphasizing its importance in providing assurance and guidance to people in challenging times.
3. The SPD's criticism of Lindner's budget plan extended to his ideas about cutting social benefits for new refugees from Ukraine, which they viewed as empty populism.
4. The Greens joined the SPD in condemning the FDP's calls for social benefit reductions or restrictions for these refugees, with leader Katharina Dröge labeling such tactics as careless and potentially harmful to social cohesion.
5. The Daily Mirror reported that the SPD, FDP, and Greens were aligned in their aim to combat black market employment among social benefit recipients, with Andreas Audretsch of the Greens calling out companies breaking the law.
6. Finance Minister Lindner's budget plan drew criticism even from within his own party, as Christian Lindner's brother, a member of the SPD, wrote an op-ed in the Daily Mirror expressing concern about the potential harm to households and social expenditures.
7. In the ongoing budget debate, the FDP's General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai stood by his party's call for the elimination of social benefits for newly arriving refugees from Ukraine, despite opposition from several state leaders and coalition partners.
8. The Daily Mirror analyzed the implications of the proposed spending cuts and their effects on households, highlighting the potential for increased hardship and stress during an already challenging period, especially in light of international conflicts, such as the situation in Ukraine.

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