The Senate took part in budget discussions and promised sweeping changes. This started the examination session for the Social Security Financing Bill (PLFSS) Wednesday, November 19. If in the National Assembly, Sébastien Lecornu had to discuss with the socialist deputies, in the Senate, it was the elected representatives of the center and right who held the key to negotiations. They intend to return to the abolition of pension reform and a number of measures approved by deputies, considering too many tax increases and not enough savings. Follow our live stream.
• Leftists vow to unite in the Senate. They are a minority but intend to lead the struggle. The leaders of socialist, environmental and communist groups in the Senate held a joint press conference on Tuesday. “Right-wing senators have declared their colors by wanting to capitalize on some of the progress that the left has wrested from the National Assembly (…). We will stand together because we cannot accept such horrors”launched by the leader of the socialist senator, Patrick Kanner. “We will experience here in the Senate the return of the horror show.”worried Cécile Cukierman, criticizing a “the right of united senators to rewrite this text and undermine the work of our deputies.” There are no LFI groups in the Senate.
• Lawmakers reject “end of management” bill. This text, usually a technical file, sets out the final budget adjustments for the current year. The proposal was rejected on Tuesday night by 145 votes to 107, with the far-right and France Insoumise opposing it, facing a smaller government camp and an abstention from socialists. During the inspection, the deputies deleted several parts of the text, including the preamble and cancellation of appropriations, thereby exposing the Ministry of Public Accounts services to certain difficulties in recalculating the budget balance. “A situation that never occurred under the Fifth Republic”stressed Minister Amélie de Montchalin, forced to request the suspension of two sessions to carry out the calculations.
The general base deputies will not vote on the revenue share. It was Sébastien Lecornu’s entourage who informed journalists of this desire on Tuesday, discovering this budget “filled with insincerity”. If these groups say they want it “compromise” during the parliamentary meeting, they will therefore have to oscillate between abstaining and voting against this text between now and Sunday.
