The traffic light argues about relief: Habeck on a confrontational course to Lindner

Created: 08/23/2022, 07:02

By: Klaus Rimpel

Traffic light dispute over relief: Greens call for more support for low earners and weak pensioners - FDP rejects targeted aid.

Munich/Berlin – The dispute over relief for citizens in the face of skyrocketing energy prices is becoming a crucial test for the traffic light coalition.

Green Economics Minister Robert Habeck is fully on a confrontational course with FDP Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who continues to reject targeted relief for the socially disadvantaged and pensioners.

Habeck, on the other hand, emphasized that the upcoming relief package must focus on supporting low-income earners.

Various reliefs have their respective reasons, including the tax compensation for inflation proposed by Lindner.

But not all measures are equally important in the current situation, said the Green politician in the ZDF "Morgenmagazin".

For him, the strongest reason for relief is "that we have to keep the basic democratic consensus by creating a social balance," said Habeck.

The high cost of gas would affect everyone.

"And that means to me that those who earn less are supported more than those who earn a lot."

Traffic light dispute about relief: opposition supported - Lindner rejects help

Support came from the opposition.

The social policy spokesman for the Union faction in the Bundestag, Stephan Stracke (CSU), criticized Lindner's course: "If the Federal Finance Minister now wants to exclude all pensioners from relief again, that is socially unfair and exacerbates the division in society," he said.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz had promised a new relief package for the coming weeks.

What exactly it looks like is being discussed "with confidence in the government," he said last week.

Finance Minister Lindner had repeatedly rejected special aid for pensioners and referred to the pension increase that took place this year.

Like everyone in the basic security system, needy pensioners would have received a special payment, and there would also be a heating subsidy for housing allowance.

Pensioners also benefited from the abolition of the EEG levy on the electricity bill.

Traffic light dispute over relief: Christian Lindner (FDP) and Robert Habeck (Greens).

© Florian Gaertner/Imago

Dispute over relief: Greens want to help students, pensioners and families

Group leader Katharina Dröge from the green coalition partner contradicted in the

: "We have to relieve those who are particularly affected by the rising prices and are looking forward to the winter with great concern." This also means that students and pensioners with small pensions are the focus stand.

Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) also wants to ensure that a third relief package is designed primarily for poorer families and lower incomes.

These are more affected by inflation.

"Then now is not the time to start distributing from the bottom up again, we actually have to distribute from the top down," she said.

She also spoke out in favor of a ban on electricity and gas cutoffs for private households in winter: "It cannot be that someone has to leave their apartment because they cannot pay their bill."