Union Politicians Face Fierce Criticism in Parliament on Friday Afternoon
Leaked welfare cuts proposal triggers cross-party outrage in Germany
"Every single person on the government benches should be ashamed of themselves," declares Heidi Reichinnek, drawing applause from her Left Party faction. The proposed cuts are a "slap in the face" to young people and those with disabilities, echoes Green Party MP Denise Lob.
From the AfD ranks come the usual insults, with calls for the Union to cut development aid and refugee support instead. Even the coalition partner chooses sharp words today: The document is "an attack on human dignity," says SPD MP Heike Heubach, adding that many in her faction firmly oppose it.
The "document" in question is a collection of austerity proposals leaked last Thursday by the Paritätischer Gesamtverband (Parity Welfare Association). The 108-page paper, titled "Efficient Use of Resources in Social Benefit Laws," was drafted by a working group comprising the Chancellor's Office, multiple ministries, state governments, and municipal associations. Among the proposed cuts are reductions to child and youth welfare services, as well as integration assistance for people with disabilities. Dated March 25, the document is marked as a draft.
It was never meant for public release. The real scandal, argues Ralph Edelhäuser (CDU), is that an internal working paper was leaked and then framed as a definitive austerity agenda. The working group's goal, he insists, is to safeguard the future of the welfare state and ease financial pressure on municipalities. While compiling proposals is necessary, he stresses, that does not mean they will be implemented. Edelhäuser calls for open debate "without taboos."
SPD Distances Itself from Proposals
The Greens and the Left Party criticize the government for failing to either clarify or disavow the proposals, despite repeated requests. "This should never have happened with our support," says Green MP Corinna Ruffers, arguing that Labor Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD) should have rejected the plans outright. Instead, it is Heike Heubach who speaks out on Friday: "We will not balance budgets on the backs of the most vulnerable," the deaf politician signs in German Sign Language, her words translated for the audience by an interpreter. She dismisses the paper as a "solo effort by the Chancellor's Office."
The three parties to the left of the CDU agree: Cutting support for children, young people, and those with disabilities not only inflicts severe harm on those affected but will also incur future costs—such as rising homelessness. As alternatives to relieving municipal budgets, Heubach proposes a windfall tax, fairer inheritance taxes, and a wealth levy.
Similar proposals to those in the leaked document had already appeared in a draft law from the CDU-led Family Ministry. For instance, school assistants for children and adolescents with disabilities may soon provide support in groups rather than individually. "So don't pretend the ministry had nothing to do with this and just stumbled upon the list in the printer," says Reichinnek, who works professionally in youth services. She sees the working group's proposals not as abstract considerations but as "a very real threat."
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