The Finance Committee deputies, who had already rejected the “revenue” part of the 2026 APBN, this Wednesday strongly rejected the “expenditure” part.
This vote is primarily indicative, as it is the government’s initial draft law that will reach the hemicycle stage, as is always the case with budget texts, when it is first read, and not the version that is exhaustively rewritten by the parliamentarians who are members of the committee. And, given the time available, at best deputies will only vote on the first part of the text, relating to revenue, in the session.
The fact remains: the vote is final. Of the 73-member commission, only the Socialists announced they would abstain, and all other groups voted against this portion of the spending.
“This copy is completely off the mark”
The commission is reviewing a summary article, a broad summary of their different positions. On the right and center, we advocate significant reductions in state and local spending. On the left, we maintain the maintenance of existing positions, which will be compensated with additional income. “The final copy makes no sense,” complained general budget rapporteur Philippe Juvin (LR).
Several major credits were rejected outright, “eight” according to Vice President Daniel Labaronne (Renaissance) at the opening of the session, citing in particular credits dedicated to “agriculture”, “culture”, “ecology”, “justice” or “health”.
“This copy really misses the point, we need to get public spending under control,” criticized fellow group member Paul Midy, pointing to the “32 billion” in additional spending added according to everyone’s amendment. Certain investments are needed to “support state or local government action,” argued Christine Arrighi (environmental group).
“We are destroying parliamentary democracy,” Charles de Courson (Liot) worried. Éric Coquerel (LFI), president of the commission, described “a strange democracy that means that we can study a bill from the start only from a minority group”, without Parliament actually having the “means” to “change it like in other countries in the world”.
The Finance Committee has been discussing the 2026 State Finance Bill since October 20. The debate has been intense, moving at a snail’s pace, and many changes have been made in the past month, seeking a compromise that is impossible for all lawmakers to accept. The Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has committed not to use article 49.3 of the Constitution.
Deputies continued their debate over the text and amendments Monday morning, and they have until midnight Sunday night to try to complete the hearing. They can only comment on the revenue part. After the specified deadline, the text will be sent to the Senate. Therefore, portions of spending rejected by the committee will not be passed on to senators.
