Federal Minister for Construction, Verena Hubertz of the SPD, has defended the planned reductions to housing benefit, describing the move as painful but unavoidable. According to the Rheinische Post, Hubertz stated that the cuts are not only difficult for the individuals affected but also challenging for the Social Democrats themselves. She strongly emphasized that cutting housing benefits is not something she wants to push for, but acknowledged that given the current budget situation, savings must be implemented across every ministry.
Hubertz noted that her ministry is currently negotiating with the Ministry of Finance to determine how these difficult financial reductions can be implemented as smoothly as possible. She added that even if the ministry were to undertake drastic cuts to its core funding programs, the required billion euros could not be gathered internally, making the necessary cuts unavoidable.
Concurrently, the Construction Minister championed an increase in the living cost allowance provided to students under the BAföG system. She asserted her dedication to upholding this agreement, particularly when speaking to Research Minister Dorothee Bär of the CSU, noting that Union politicians had recently cast doubt on the increase.
