VPs from the CDU are pushing for a faster approach and further reforms to the basic security benefits (Grundsicherung). Sepp Müller, the deputy chairman of the CDU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, told the “Bild”-Zeitung (Monday edition) that Federal Labour Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD) must quickly present a draft law aimed at standardizing (pauschalizing) rent payments for recipients of the basic security benefits.
The CDU politician stated that the second phase of basic security reform requires that accommodation costs be paid out as a flat rate according to different regions. He added that using flat rates would reduce administrative burdens and limit disproportionately high housing costs, anticipating significant savings for the federal government and municipalities. Müller emphasized, “I expect Federal Labour Minister Bärbel Bas to present a concrete model for this.”
The coalition agreement signed by the CDU, CSU, and SPD included a commitment to limit excessive living costs and investigate greater standardization of social benefits. However, a concrete model for subsidized accommodation costs is currently lacking.
Markus Söder, the Minister-President of Bavaria (CSU), also highlighted this potential for savings regarding accommodation costs. He demanded the elimination of the current one-year grace period. According to the CSU politician, “The one-year grace period that covers all actual expenses can be abolished. This will not only reduce costs, but also completely simplify the procedures.”
Furthermore, Söder called for future recipients from Ukraine to be paid benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act instead of the current system. He insisted, “Young, able-bodied Ukrainian men should no longer receive Citizen’s Income (Bürgergeld), but lower rates according to the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. They are needed for the defense of their country, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also demands.”
