Mayra Vriesema, a housing policy expert from the Green Party, has criticized cuts to housing benefits following discussions in the Federal Council. According to Vriesema, the announced reductions constitute “socio-political nonsense, as predicted.” The expert from the Green parliamentary faction cautioned that saving money in this manner merely shifts poverty from one household to the next, knowingly pushing people into existential uncertainty.
Vriesema argued that roughly half of the housing benefit recipients are retirees. Should benefits be reduced for this group, many could fall into greater dependency upon basic social security. Furthermore, she pointed out that the Federal Government’s recent decision to approve a diesel discount costing 2.5 billion euros demonstrates that the cuts to housing benefits are politically intended, not simply a result of budgetary austerity.
The background for these adjustments is that the Ministry of Housing plans significant cuts to household support starting next year. By 2027, the federal and state governments are projected to save approximately 1.5 billion euros through these reductions.
During the Federal Council debate, there was considerable opposition to the government’s amendment proposal. After the council’s specialized committees and the Ministers’ Conference for Housing rejected the planned reductions, the Council is now demanding revisions. Specifically, the states are insisting that the federal government fully compensate local municipalities for the resulting additional costs. However, the Federal Council did not halt the core cuts, which Vriesema described as a bitter signal for all those relying on the housing benefit.
