Actor André Dietz has renewed his criticism of Friedrich Merz (CDU) concerning potential budget cuts affecting individuals with disabilities and those in the care sector. After a video featuring Dietz went viral on social media, he told the “Rheinische Post”, “The Chancellor seems to have no idea what our daily lives look like. The daily lives of millions of caregivers and supported individuals”.
Dietz, who is the father of a daughter with a disability, noted that he and his wife are in a relatively secure financial position, allowing them time flexibility. However, he emphasized that people in regular jobs or single parents are purely dependent on support services. He shares the concerns of thousands of people who fear that reductions in inclusion services could lead to genuine problems, even risking people’s existence.
His critique addressed remarks made by Merz at an event in Salzwedel, Saxony-Anhalt, back in late April, during which the CDU politician suggested potential cuts to state aid for children, teenagers, and people with disabilities.
Looking at the planned reforms by the governing coalition, Dietz acknowledged that some action is necessary to prevent the ongoing rise in contributions to health and long-term care insurance. He sees the underlying problem, but cautioned against targeting the wrong areas. “The fact that costs double every few years has many reasons and cannot be explained by the service catalog alone. I urgently want to warn against making cuts in the wrong places” he stated. According to the actor, if care services are cut, employees are forced to leave their jobs to become caregivers for relatives-a situation that runs contrary to Merz’s stated goal of encouraging people to work more.
Dietz’s video has reportedly been viewed by around seven million people.
