“This umpteenth passage in force is unacceptable”, declared in front of the press the leader of the rebellious deputies Mathilde Panot, surrounded by members of her group. The cause of his annoyance? Elisabeth Borne engaged this Monday, for the fifth time, the responsibility of her government on a budgetary text in the Assembly by drawing article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows its adoption without a vote except motion of censure. The LFI deputies immediately announced the tabling of a new motion of censure.
“While the new reading (of the text) was to begin in session, nearly 700 amendments were tabled, in addition to those adopted in committee. We cannot perpetually replay debates which have already been decided”, estimated the First Minister, deprived of an absolute majority. It triggered 49.3 after only three hours of debate on the revenue part of the 2023 Social Security draft budget.
A 49.3 justified by the timing of the review of the text
The text, examined Monday in a new reading in the National Assembly, provides for measures on prevention, medical deserts, or even savings for biology laboratories.
Continuing to debate “would threaten the timetable for the examination of the text. (…) However, we need this third part of the bill to finance our social model, to provide the means to our healthcare system, to come into aid to the most precarious, to give substance to our policy of autonomy”, argued Élisabeth Borne.
“Also, ladies and gentlemen deputies, on the basis of article 49 paragraph 3 of the Constitution, I engage the responsibility of my government on the third part of the social security financing bill for 2023”, said she asserted. Another use of 49.3 should be necessary to then validate the expenditure part of this budget in a new reading.
An “improvement” of the text according to Borne
The Prime Minister, who defends a method based on dialogue and compromise, indicated that she had “changed the bill” submitted to 49.3 to “improve it”, by integrating an amendment from the Senate, with a majority on the right, to encourage employers to take advantage of the RTT buyback scheme. “It was not a majority amendment. We are keeping it because it will support the purchasing power of employees,” she defended.
Elisabeth Borne also joked about the “lies” of the LFI group, which had recently hinted that the pension reform would be the subject of an amendment to this text. “Nothing is about pension reform in this text”, underlined the Prime Minister, recalling that “discussions are continuing” on this subject with the social partners. “The discussions are progressing. I do not claim that they will lead to an agreement on all points. But I affirm that they make us progress”.
For her part, Mathilde Panot stressed that such a pension reform could only be contained in the expenditure part and that she therefore remained “vigilant”. The filing of the motion of censure should be effective Tuesday, after discussions between LFI and the other components of the left alliance Nupes as well as with the centrist group Liot, to see if they wish to bring their signatures. The RN group must for its part decide whether to table its own motion Tuesday morning in an internal meeting, according to a parliamentary source.