Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), has proposed a substantial austerity package aimed at stabilizing the federal budget. In an interview, Söder emphasized the urgency of fiscal responsibility, stating a significant amount of work remains to be done and savings are both necessary and achievable.
Söder identified several key areas where substantial cuts could be made, including citizen’s allowance programs, heating infrastructure legislation, immigration policies and development aid. He argued that prioritizing economic growth must be central to any budgetary adjustments.
Specifically, Söder called for the complete elimination of the citizen’s allowance, advocating for a mandate requiring recipients to accept reasonable work and a reduction in housing allowances. He also suggested halving funding allocated to heat pump subsidies under the current heating infrastructure law, pointing to last year’s €16.7 billion federal allocation for efficient building development, a significant portion of which supported heat pump installations.
Regarding asylum seekers, Söder proposed reducing benefits for individuals subject to deportation orders who are not granted a reprieve. Furthermore, he stated that development aid could be curtailed, linking it to the willingness of recipient countries to accept citizens obligated to leave Germany. He suggested that countries failing to repatriate these individuals would also forfeit German financial assistance.
