SPD warns: Linnemann wants to put citizen money to the rehearsal!

SPD warns: Linnemann wants to put citizen money to the rehearsal!

Deutschland - On June 8, 2025, the reform of the citizens' allowance is at the center of the political debate in Germany. CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann has made his position clear and demands a tough course to convert the citizens' allowance. He would like to go to the substance of the system and demand that the need for recipients of benefits are questioned if reasonable jobs are rejected. Linnemann emphasizes that the conversion of the citizens' allowance must be a necessary paradigm shift in the system in order to integrate people more effectively into the labor market. This caused resentment among the Social Democrats. Dagmar Schmidt from the SPD criticized Linnemann's attacks on the welfare state and confirmed that the social systems form the solidarity foundation of society, such as sächsische.de reported.

The current discussions are not new, but gain explosive through the joint government of the Union and the SPD. In the coalition agreement, both parties agreed to convert citizens into a new "basic security for job seekers", and there are significant tensions about the implementation of this reform. Linnemann and Chancellor Friedrich Merz support a complete deprivation of performance for people who reject reasonable work. These demands are in conflict with the ideas of the SPD, which again wants to participate in the financing of the community.

an important reform approach

The reform was originally designed by the SPD at its party congress in 2019 and decided by law in 2022. The aim is to achieve a fundamental realignment of social security. This reform is propagated as a farewell to "Hartz IV", but is a continuation of previous elements in many aspects, according to the Wirtschaftsdienst .

The citizens' money reform aims to address beneficiaries: inside as a "citizen" with inalienable rights. Although the measures of reform assume that most beneficiaries have come into difficulty through no fault of their own, the pressure for work has been increased. Job centers can continue to demand participation, and performance cuts are possible in the event of refusal. This is supported by the legal regulations of the Federal Constitutional Court.

challenges and fears

For many citizens of the citizens, especially those with psychological problems, the guidelines are a major challenge. Christian Bäumler from the CDA points out that these groups of people are often not available for job centers. In addition, there is a concern about the increase in expenditure for the citizens' allowance, which rose to almost 47 billion euros in 2022, while the number of needs communities is around 2.9 million

Federal Minister of Labor Bärbel BAS announced measures against systematic fraud in the civil allowance and addressed exploitative structures that attract people from other countries. Nevertheless, Verena Bentele, President of the Social Association VdK, demands an increase in citizenship benefit and a reduction in VAT on main foods in order to do justice to the current price developments, such as Tageschau.de reported.

Overall, the renovation of the citizens' allowance remains a complex topic that continues to be part of a socio -political negotiation process. The discussion about the citizen benefit will continue to shape the political debates in Germany.