German Bundestag, July 9, 2026, Plenarprotokoll 21/89, pp. 10868-10871.
[...] Let us come to healthcare reform and to the first day illness note, Herr
Chancellor. And here again becomes clear that you really have null empathy,
primarily for the citizens. Were such a proposal submitted by me and us, I
would place myself before the voters. You however are full of mistrust and
ill will in the face of the sick. Much more, you would thereby still further
strain the already thin medical coverage. There are now full waiting rooms and
long lines at the doctors' offices. There is actually shown that you apparently
do not at all know what proceeds out there in the country: Full waiting rooms,
as was said, added to that the documentation obligations, overburdened health
personnel; these then need to wait in line at the nearest doctor's office for an
illness note.
Herr Merz, such unmenschliche proposals will only be represented by politicians
who themselves seemingly never worked with the hands, but only have controlled
foreign capital from a manager's seat as an upper employee.
Jens Spahn (CDU/CSU): Does that apply to Frau Weidel?
Please do not get me wrong: I rejoice for everyone who in his calling is successful
and earns money. Those citizens who even perhaps came somewhat easier through
these difficult times will nevertheless even so be burdened by your unpleasant
approach to Politik.
Wherein we also see you generally plan new costs. Just in the health field, the
chronically ill and families will be burdened with the greatest costs - be it the reduced
subvention for dental replacement, the obligatory costs of co-insurance for spouses,
the rising costs for pharmacists, or the financing of gaps in the rescue service. All that
damages the provision for young and old, their health and the attractiveness of our
country. You drive with these measures remaining medical professionals out of the
country. You worsen the health of middle- and low-earners - this is besides the
majority of the citizens in Germany - the retirees and, before all, the future generations.
Herr Merz, you also ever more leave the way of the sozial market economy. The bow
is more quickly over-stretched than you actually think. The Alternative fur Deutschland
is also here in position to build bridges, for the market regulates much in the area
"Business and Economy". In the area of basic duties of the state, like health, education
and infrastructure, or affordable energy, we in Germany see the state obliged. The
people primarily need again to be at the center of Sozialpolitik, those who have
contributed to creation of value and are also plainly active and will be active:
Those are our children. With them stands and falls a sozial system. It thus can
conclusively only be about using the savings potential of 12 billion euros in the area
of Bürgergeld contributions for precisely this group of persons, so as to bring into
employment all, namely those who are capable of work and are of corresponding
age and thereby ending the state incentives for tax-financed non-work.
This concerns even so the immigrants into our sozial system, primarily from the
Ukraine and from Syria, as precisely those who simply no longer want to
work because they have settled themselves. Only with a strong focus may we
strengthen the sozial accounts and, before all things, the community. We thus
need to take in hand quite clear limitations and also formulate severe penalties
for benefits abuse. These are exactly the important signs to the majority of
citizens that thereby their hard work and willingness to perform again pays.
Germany can thus also again become family- and children-friendly. Like a
thunderclap then the news of the planned cuts in the parents money hit all
young families. You have spoken of families and children, Herr Merz. I am
astonished that you at all formulated that. Yet which signs do these cuts send?
What is this actually for priorities of this Federal government? We have in
Germany meanwhile the lowest birthrate since 1946. And what comes from
this government, what pertains to family policy, what pertains to promotion?
Nothing. Null. That is really a disgrace for this country.
This Federal government wants to obligate everyone up to the 70th year of
life to work, and invest preferably in panzers instead of children. It will play
off the generations one against the other, and in the end commit the valuable
tax money to none of either side.
You want the control of conflicts and wars not through diplomacy but through
sanctions. These damage the German economy, the German people and the entire
European continent. Peace means prosperity, and prosperity is the basis of
security.
Yet with horror I need see that you want to achieve the prosperity at the cost
of peace. Massive upgrades and armament have nothing to do with the mandatory
fulfillment of alliance obligations. In the past twelve months, the spending for war
weapons increased about 25 billion to over 124 billion euros. You regularly
celebrate your armaments intoxications, and have no one who wants to take up
arms. The Federal Minister of Defense, Pistorius, needed to painfully experience
that following the reaction to approximately 300,000 questionnaires sent for
military registration - merely a scarce 530 reports for voluntary service followed.
Beatrix von Storch (AfD): Hear, hear!
The German people quite obviously no longer want to have themselves made
fit for war.
And the young generation has decided. The time of the War Minister is past. In
place of being employed in the construction of a destructive war economy, there
needs finally again be at midpoint an impulse for a peaceful living together between
the peoples of Europe. The NATO could be an alliance of peace, and not the finance
machine of the Ukraine war.
For a conclusion, yet a brief remark on law, and on the obligation of parties for
holding their party meetings. We are all legally obligated to the same conduct. Just so
more reprehensible are the calls for violence of individual members of this sovereign
house who have exchanged democracy for the right of might. We could see in Erfurt
who these are, who ostensibly defend our democracy. They of course have
contributed to that Apollo journalists were victims of uncontrolled assaults and the
split in our society was driven ever deeper. The security measures for our national
party meeting in Erfurt cost many weeks of preparation time by police and Bund
security forces. I want in this place to state to all mission forces my express thanks.
President Julia Klöckner: Please come to a final sentence.
Dialogue and diplomacy are also the basis for security and prosperity.
Many thanks.
[trans: tem]
