Week after week, the examination of the budgetary texts in the National Assembly poses a major challenge to the deputies as well as to the executive: that of keeping the parliamentary debates alive despite the ax of 49.3.
On Wednesday, October 26, discussions on the Social Security financing bill (PLFSS) were no exception. Shortly before midnight, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne burst onto the podium to announce, for the third time in a week, the commitment of her responsibility, this time for the entire PLFSS for 2023.
This new recourse to Article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows the government to adopt a text without a vote by Parliament, comes after two successful attempts by the executive, which was able to have the “revenue” sections of its finance bill – at the end of eight days of debate – and that of the budget of the “Safety” – from the first day of discussion – in first reading, after the failure of three motions of censure, Monday.
It was before the sparse ranks of her majority and a handful of elected officials from the Les Républicains (LR) party that the Matignon tenant defended “a text of social progress” quoting “the increase in controls of nursing homes [établissement d’hébergement pour personnes âgées dépendantes] », “strengthening the continuity of care” or “100% coverage of hair prostheses for women with cancer”.
Points of order and adjournments
An inaudible satisfaction for the oppositions. The elected members of the New Popular Ecological and Social Union (Nupes) had already left the Hemicycle for half an hour protesting against “a masquerade” before being followed by the deputies of the National Rally (RN). “It is clear that we are going to stop participating in this cynical operation and this anti-parliamentary disorder that you are organizing”, was indignant the deputy (La France insoumise, LFI) of Seine-Saint-Denis, Alexis Corbière, in reference to the words used by Emmanuel Macron in his interview Wednesday evening, in which he considers that the vote of the motion of censure of the Nupes by the RN, Monday, reports to the ” disorder ” and “cynicism”.
“I find it regrettable that the benches of the Nupes have emptied in anticipation while I quote desired, desired measures, sometimes demanded for a long time by the left of this assembly”, criticized M.me Borne, without mentioning the absence of far-right elected officials.
Of the 3,000 amendments tabled to this “Secu” budget, nearly 1,100 remained to be examined on Wednesday evening. The oppositions have continued to demand that the text can be debated until its end, beyond Wednesday. “At the pace of the work, we would therefore still need more than 80 hours of debate to complete the examination of the text”, justified Elisabeth Borne, who recalled that no opposition group had agreed to vote on the text.
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