At Caren Miosga Federal Finance Minister Lindner defended his austerity plans and the debt brake. However, he left the future of the traffic light government open.
In the ARD-talk show Caren Miosga Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner commented on current controversial issues in the coalition – and at the same time left the future of the traffic light open.
The one-on-one conversation initially focused on personal matters and the upcoming elections at European and state level. When asked about the state elections in Thuringia on September 1st this year and the upcoming election campaign, Lindner explained: “I will not get involved in Thuringia.”
Critical view of Thuringia
It is an old agreement that the federal party will not take part in the election campaign if Thomas Kemmerich runs as the top candidate, said Lindner. Kemmerich was confirmed as the FDP’s top candidate in the state elections last Saturday in Weimar.
The Thuringian FDP leader was elected Prime Minister in 2020 with the votes of the AfD, which triggered a government crisis in Thuringia and led to Kemmerich’s subsequent resignation after intervention from both the federal FDP and other parties.
Lindner defends his appearance at the farmers’ demonstration
Lindner defended his appearance at the farmers’ demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in January of this year on the show. At the demonstration, the FDP leader declared that, unlike the climate stickers, “the farmers honor the Brandenburg Gate.”
At Caren Miosga explained the finance minister: “First of all, I went there and let myself be booed.” At the beginning of the year the mood was heated. Gallows had been set up and he was happy that the protest was peaceful.
According to Lindner, his appearance would also have contributed to this, as would the partial reversal of the planned cuts in subsidies for agriculture: “I said there, I have an offer for you,” said Lindner. Since then, the traffic lights have improved the situation of farmers and thus secured the profitability and competitiveness of farmers.
Lindner supports the debt brake
In the second part of the program, in addition to the Finance Minister, the economist Jens Südekum from the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf and the journalist Kristina Dunz, deputy head of the capital editorial team of the editorial network Germany, were guests. Südekum criticizes the debt brake as not being appropriate for the current challenges. International experts have long seen this as a problem.
Just last fall, the federal budget failed due to a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court. This had declared the planned reallocation of the special fund for Corona aid to finance the current budget as unconstitutional. In response, numerous economists called for a reform of the debt brake and the taking on of debt in order to still be able to finance the budget.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner had instead ordered austerity measures – and would also like to continue this in the next budget, as he said Caren Miosga explained: “It is part of economic reason that Germany remains stable,” said Lindner. “In the end, someone always has to pay, and that is the citizens.”
Lindner is betting on rising prices tax income
When asked about the budget gap of 30 billion euros, the finance minister said he wanted to plug it with increased tax revenue through a booming economy. According to economist Südekum, this is an impossible task: “It is a mistake in Mr. Lindner’s thinking that he wants to combine structural reforms with austerity measures.” It is completely illusory to raise 30 billion euros through austerity measures. Instead, the economist suggested an economic stimulus program in which investments would first be financed through loans and then the debt brake would be reformed.
Journalist Kristina Dunz also criticized Lindner’s austerity plans. She explained that Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is already causing special financial costs that need to be covered and that it could become even more serious: “If Ukraine loses this war, then it will be incomparably more expensive for us.” Dunz also pointed out that the dilapidated infrastructure is becoming a problem for the young generation – not just an increasing debt burden.
Future of the traffic light government uncertain
Recently, in the course of the disputes over future budget policy, there was repeated speculation about whether the FDP would leave the traffic light government. Journalist Kristina Dunz also sees evidence of this. Turning to Finance Minister Lindner, she said yes Caren Miosga: “It’s interesting that when you’re asked whether you’re going to collapse the coalition, you never say, ‘No, I won’t.'”
FDP leader Lindner responded: “There is no blank check in politics. Then I would be open to blackmail.” His goal is to present a good budget and achieve an economic turnaround in the style he described. There are definitely different points of view within the traffic light government, and that leads to arguments, says Lindner: “I feel the limits we are reaching every day.” Nevertheless, the traffic light government has always managed to reach a common denominator.