After four days of intense and often heated debate, the National Assembly adopted on the night of Tuesday July 26 to Wednesday July 27 the second part of the measures to support purchasing power, before its examination in the Senate. The deputies approved at first reading this rectified draft budget for 2022 by 293 votes against 146, and 17 abstentions. The Republicans, to whom the executive has repeatedly given satisfaction, supported the text.
The deputies of the National Rally, on the other hand, did not take part in the vote: they left the hemicycle in protest against the way in which the Assembly reversed a revaluation of additional pensions of 500 million euros for pensions pension approved a few hours earlier. The government asked for a second deliberation to cancel a measure it was fighting, sparking a heated debate, with virulent exchanges between the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire, the Nupes and the RN.
This first round, in the form of a test for the Borne government deprived of an absolute majority, is finally over: the deputies played the extensions for more than two days, the oppositions defending their amendments step by step. Friday morning, the Assembly had already adopted the first part, the 20 billion euros of the “emergency” bill in support of purchasing power, in the face of galloping inflation. The amended draft budget opens up 44 billion euros in credits, including 9.7 just to finance the 100% renationalization of EDF.
The boss of LR deputies Olivier Marleix said he was satisfied with the “positive standoff with the government” which made it possible to collect a series of measures on fuel, the purchase of RTTs by companies, and even the tax exemption of overtime. Conversely, the left did not want to support a text “co-constructed with the right” and which “equality and social justice are the major absentees”according to a spokesperson for the PS deputies, Arthur Delaporte.
The LFI group plans to appeal to the Constitutional Council concerning the abolition of the fee. On the RN side, the elected officials deplored the rejection of their proposals for VAT reductions, and more generally the economic and fiscal policy of the executive. Bruno Le Maire also confirmed that “by the end of 2023 we will put an end to regulated (gas) tariffs to comply with European rules”.