Economy budget debate
Labor Minister Heil – “No cuts in social security”
As of: 06:27 a.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
Hubertus Heil: “Everyone knows that we can’t afford everything”
Source: dpa/Bernd von Jutrczenka
The Minister of Social Affairs, Hubertus Heil, admits that we need to talk about “how targeted certain benefits are.” Nevertheless, he made it clear during the budget debate: “With me there will be no cuts in social security.”
Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil does not want to save on social benefits despite the tight budget situation. “We will not cut any services that citizens are entitled to,” the SPD politician told the “Tagesspiegel” with a view to the discussions on the 2025 federal budget. “Everyone knows that we cannot afford everything and that we have to set budgetary priorities “, emphasized Heil.
However, he is firmly convinced that social security cannot be taken away from people in times of crisis. The Minister of Social Affairs admitted that we need to talk about “how targeted certain benefits are.” “But again: there will be no cuts in social security with me,” Heil made clear.
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Negotiations on the budget for 2025 have begun in the federal government. The Ministry of Finance called on all departments on Thursday to make suggestions for savings. The ministries’ plans should be available by April 19th. “It will require a joint effort by the federal government to resolve the need for action in the federal budget,” says a letter from Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) to his cabinet colleagues.
The need for action describes a billion-dollar gap, which, according to the Ministry of Finance, amounts to a double-digit billion amount even without additional requests. The federal budget for 2025 is due to be approved by the cabinet at the beginning of July. Then it’s the Bundestag’s turn. The budget is usually finally passed in December.