“Hardly tolerable”: SPD attacks Merz for social reduction plans

From the SPD parliamentary group, sharp criticism for the announcement by Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz comes to take a critical review of the funding in the social and local area. “It is difficult to bear, as Mr. Merz tries to play people with disabilities as well as children and adolescents in difficult situations against each other and against the general public,” said Deputy SPD parliamentary group leader Dagmar Schmidt the star.

The Chancellor and CDU chairman Merz announced at the local congress of the German Association of Cities and Municipalities in Berlin that “a comprehensive expenditure check” in social law must also be carried out. The fact that there are annual increase rates of up to ten percent for youth welfare or integration assistance for about years, “is no longer acceptable,” said Merz on Wednesday.

It must be searched for “as the right to be taken into account as well as the performance of public budgets,” announced Merz. There are intensive advice here, Merz obviously also said with a view to the coalition partner SPD.

“The welfare state is not a cost factor that you will put together according to the cash situation,” countered social democrat Schmidt, who, as deputy group leader, is responsible for work and social affairs, education and family, among other things. The welfare state is the “foundation” of social cohesion. Children and adolescents in particular need protection and support, said Schmidt.

Anyone who complains that the increasing costs in integration assistance and child and youth welfare, without the causes- in particular increasing personnel and material costs as well as an increase in beneficiaries- are only to be mentioned “, apparent” a worryingly cold understanding of the welfare state “.

Merz had guaranteed the cities and municipalities that the federal government would assign funding less than less bureaucracy – as a reason he called that it could be better decided on site which specific projects should be funded. However, one would have to check together critically to the extent to which funding could still be made available. “If everything is encouraged at the same time, it is almost as if nothing is promoted.” Funding would have to start where there is a recognizable added value for citizens.

“Instead of questioning funding, Mr. Merz should rather work for better support for families, for more prevention and solidarity financing of our social work,” said SPD vice-leader chairman Schmidt. Anyone who only considered the welfare state from the aspect of savings potential “did not understand the social question of our time.”