It is a budget under high tension. The National Assembly examines in committee on Tuesday an explosive draft Social Security budget for 2026, amid exceptionally strong economies and the announced suspension of the unpopular pension reform, in a context of great political tensions.
As with the finance bill, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has committed not to use the constitutional weapon of 49.3 to approve this text of almost 680 billion euros of spending, that is, more than the draft state budget. However, disagreements between political forces remain deep and the time allocated is limited.
The starting point, the Social Security Financing Bill (PLFSS) put on the table by the Lecornu 2 government, is exceptionally rigorous from a financial point of view and several political groups intend to modify it greatly.
“Unacceptable”, “absolute”, “unfair” or “socially aggressive” budget for the representatives of the affected sectors, the text plans to reduce the Social Security deficit to 17,500 million in 2026 (23,000 million in 2025).
The executive limits the increase in spending on health insurance to 1.6%, while it naturally increases each year by around 4%, driven in particular by the aging of the population. And it has seven billion in health savings, many of them painful.
As Social Security celebrates its 80th anniversary, several measures are aimed at patients: a new increase in deductibles (patients continue to pay for consultations and medications), reduction of reimbursement at the dentist, limitation of the duration of the first sick leave, etc.
Other irritants include additional taxes on supplementary health insurance, employer contributions on restaurant vouchers and CSE jobs, or even an additional contribution on excessive doctors’ fees.
At the hospital, this is “the worst cost savings since the 2010s,” according to hospital federations across all sectors.
“Risky bet”
The freezing of pensions and all social benefits (RSA, family allowances, APL, etc.) in 2026, to generate 3.6 billion euros of savings, should also provoke lively debates. The only underindexation of pensions last year contributed to the fall of Michel Barnier’s government.
What’s more, the draft Social Security budget is supposed to include the suspension of the pension reform promised by the current Prime Minister to escape censure. Matignon intends to present an amendment “as of November” to make it a reality. But the cost (400 million euros in 2026) will have to be compensated, warned Sébastien Lecornu.
Stéphanie Rist, like the other interested ministers (Public Accounts, Labour, Solidarity, Autonomy, Disability) will defend this PLFSS on Tuesday in the Social Affairs Committee, before the start of the examination of the amendments in committee on Thursday, and then in the chamber at the beginning of November, where the debate will resume from the initial copy.
Some 1,400 amendments were presented by different political groups, mainly from the left, according to a count carried out on Monday afternoon by the National Assembly.
Without 49.3, the minority government proposes an unprecedented exercise to a fragmented Assembly, without a majority, where each side will try to achieve victories through diverse alliances, with the Senate capable of transfiguring the whole…
And without a vote at the end of the 50 days provided for by the procedure, that is, at the beginning of December, the Government could approve its text by ordinance.
In a central position, the PS says it is making the “risky bet” of the debate, knowing that if it wants to obtain the suspension of the pension reform, it will have to adopt the entire PLFSS.
Regarding pensions, LFI and RN complain. They fear that the Government will take advantage of the stagnation of the debates to adopt the initial text by ordinance, without suspending the Borne reform, and they demand from Matignon a “corrective letter” to include it in the PLFSS before its examination.
On the contrary, the right is preparing against this suspension, promising heated debates with an uncertain outcome.
The Lecornu 2 government plays for its survival. In case of strong approval or without suspension of the pension reform, the PS will censure, threatened its boss Olivier Faure.
Source: BFM TV
