As of: January 29, 2024, 12:28 p.m
By: Bettina Menzel
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Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) on January 17, 2024 in Berlin.
© IMAGO/Emmanuele Contini
If the CDU were in government, the first thing it would do is abolish citizens' money.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach criticizes this. This is a clear example of how the AfD is driving the CDU ahead of itself.
Berlin – The CDU is repeatedly accused of adopting AfD rhetoric.
This time, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) criticized the statements of CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann as “immoral”.
If the Christian Democrats were to be part of the next government, their first step would be to abolish citizens' money in its current form, Linnemann told
Bild am Sonntag
.
Lauterbach judged that the CDU politician was making rhetorical use of a constant accusation from the Alternative for Germany (AfD).
CDU wants to abolish citizens' money, Lauterbach finds argument "immoral"
The public discussion is divided in the case of citizens' money.
The accusation is made again and again that work is no longer worth it.
Numerous studies, such as a study by the economic research institute ifo, prove that working in Germany always leads to higher incomes than doing nothing.
According to scientists, there is also no evidence of a flight from employment to basic security.
Citizens' money replaced Hartz IV on January 1, 2023.
“Citizens’ money has replaced Hartz4, an important step forward,” emphasized Health Minister Lauterbach in a post on the X platform (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.
With regard to Linnemann's statements, the minister added: "Because many people with a migrant background also get it, a constant accusation from the AfD, the CDU wants to go back to Hartz 4." This is a clear example of how the Alternative for Germany the CDU is facing Lauterbach continued, commenting: “Immoral!”
Citizens' money: Linnemann wants to tighten sanctions for those who refuse to work
In addition to abolishing the newly introduced basic security, Linnemann also wants to tighten the sanctions.
Anyone who refuses to work even though they can must expect tough sanctions, the CDU politician told
Bild am Sonntag
.
An asset check should also apply again “from the first day of receiving social benefits [...],” said Linnemann.
Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) is also planning a tougher approach.
Anyone who is reluctant to take a job will no longer receive any money for a certain period of time, it was said.
According to information from Spiegel,
this regulation is
initially limited to February 2026.
Citizens' benefit cut: Federal Constitutional Court emphasizes the proportionality of the sanctions
However, the scope for such a reduction in basic security is legally limited.
According to a decision by the Federal Constitutional Court in November 2019, the standard rate may be reduced by a maximum of 30 percent.
The judges cited the fundamental right to a minimum subsistence level as their justification.
However, it is questionable whether the Constitutional Court would consider stricter sanctions to be justified.
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The Ministry of Labor itself argues with a special regulation according to which complete cancellation is permissible if a recipient of benefits willingly and without good reason refuses to accept a concrete offer of reasonable work.
What is certain, however, is that only a very small adjustment to the citizen's allowance is planned for the standard rate, because the subsistence minimum was adjusted to the high inflation last year.
“If inflation falls significantly now, the next adjustment will be correspondingly low,” Heil told
Spiegel
.