Overview
- The SPD members’ petition formally began on December 23 and can run up to three months, but coalition plans reported for an early‑March Bundestag vote would likely conclude before the party process ends.
- Sophie Ringhand called the timing unfortunate but acknowledged the caucus is not bound by the petition, while co‑initiator Denny Möller urged delaying the parliamentary decision until members have voted.
- The government draft, cleared before Christmas, would rebrand Bürgergeld as Grundsicherung and allow a 30% cut after two missed jobcenter appointments, with payments halted after a third, with protections for people with serious mental illness.
- Officials say the changes would yield only modest net savings—about €86 million next year and €70 million the year after—far below earlier expectations of larger fiscal effects.
- Coalition strains grew as Kanzleramtschef Thorsten Frei suggested revisiting the coalition contract, a move backed by Michael Kretschmer but rebuffed by SPD leaders including Dirk Wiese and cautiously framed by Matthias Miersch.