According to Schuchardt, the basic income program, known as Bürgergeld, is not the primary driver of rising costs for cities He points to escalating expenses in areas like long-term care assistance, integration aid for those facing social exclusion and child and youth welfare services as the significant cost factors He argues that the federal government needs to deliver solutions to alleviate these burdens on local authorities
Schuchardt expressed concern that these crucial issues are not receiving adequate attention in current coalition discussions or within the established Social Welfare Commission However, he did acknowledge the positive development of the coalition prioritizing the overall reform of the social system He emphasized that the year-on-year increase in social expenditure is a key contributing factor to the precarious financial situation many German cities are currently facing
