Söder calls for sharp Bürgergeld cuts and national payment card law as reform nears
CSU leader Markus Söder has called for Germany's citizen's benefit rates to be reduced to the constitutional minimum, just days before the revamped Grundsicherungsgeld rules take effect. He also wants a federal law to enforce payment cards for asylum seekers and criminal penalties for NGOs that help circumvent them.
Söder's demand for deeper cuts
Bavarian premier and CSU leader Markus Söder told Bild am Sonntag that the regular citizen's benefit rates must be lowered to the absolute constitutional minimum. He argued that with top-ups for children, housing and other supports, the total amount is still seen as overly generous by much of the population.
It must be reduced to the absolute constitutional minimum.
Söder insisted that the federal budget outlay of around 50 billion euros cannot remain unchanged after the reform. He specifically called for removing Ukrainian refugees from the Bürgergeld system through a separate legal framework.
It cannot be that after a reform the same 50 billion euros are still on the books.
Reform context
Germany's existing Bürgergeld system, which replaced the controversial Hartz IV in 2023, provides 563 euros a month for single recipients. Almost 5.5 million people currently receive the benefit. From 1 July 2026 the reform will tighten sanctions, including possible full benefit withdrawal, and rename the benefit to Grundsicherungsgeld, but the basic allowance remains unchanged.
- Söder demands cuts and payment card law in Bild am Sonntag interview
- New Grundsicherungsgeld rules begin with stricter sanctions
Pushback from coalition and within the Union
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) had already backed cuts earlier in the week, saying the 50-billion-euro programme could make a decisive contribution to budget consolidation. The SPD, the junior coalition partner, and the opposition have pushed back sharply. Within the CDU, labour wing leader Dennis Radtke criticised the renewed debate, saying the upcoming Grundsicherungsgeld reform already delivers a central election promise.
Why we are now starting the discussion all over again is beyond me.
Payment card and NGOs
Söder also demanded a nationwide law to enforce the payment card for asylum seekers, which he said several federal states are refusing to implement. He argued that increasing deportations and voluntary departures through the card could significantly cut migration costs, and called for criminal offences against NGOs that try to help migrants bypass the card.
