2026 Budget: "As it stands, it is impossible for the National Rally not to censure this government," says Marine Le Pen

Threats of censorship are on the table. The avenues unveiled by the Prime Minister again provoked a strong reaction from the opposition on Wednesday, July 16. On the left, from the Socialist Party to La France Insoumise, condemnations are pouring in. On the far right, the National Rally is making a similar threat. "As things stand, it is impossible for the National Rally not to censor this government," said Marine Le Pen, president of the National Rally group (New window) in the National Assembly, in an interview with Le Parisien .

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Emmanuel Macron reaffirms his support for his Prime Minister. After praising the government's 2026 budget proposal at the Council of Ministers, he hailed a "clear, solid strategy" from Lourdes (Hautes-Pyrénées), where he is traveling on Wednesday, July 16. "This is a major undertaking that we have carried out with the Prime Minister and the ministers," the head of state added, leaving the door open for adjustments.

A plan that solves "almost nothing," laments Edouard Philippe. The Prime Minister's savings plan is "only an emergency plan" that "does not propose any real transformation, any structural reform of public policies that no longer work," criticized Edouard Philippe, in an interview with Le Parisien . "Almost nothing in what he proposes solves the problem. It just limits the consequences. I think he is aware of that. The explosion in social spending, for example, is not resolved by a blank year," judges the mayor of Le Havre, a presidential candidate.

The CGT (already) promises to mobilize. Speaking to RTL on Wednesday, CGT Secretary General Sophie Binet rejected "The copy that François Bayrou is presenting to us is much worse than that of Michel Barnier last year," she said, mentioning the former head of government who was censured by the National Assembly last December . "We must stop asking us to work more to earn less," the union leader said regarding the possible abolition of public holidays. "The CGT will do everything to prevent these social regressions (...) What is on the agenda is mobilization," she reiterated.

Support but reservations from the Republicans. The president of the Republican Right (LR) group in the Assembly, Laurent Wauquiez, commented on the avenues proposed by the Prime Minister during a press conference. While François Bayrou's plan has "the merit of seeking solutions," it must nevertheless be "corrected and improved." But the Prime Minister's plan "relies heavily on tax increases" and "weighs heavily on working France," the MP lamented. In a press release, the party then praised a "vision" that is "generally the right one," while deploring "significant blind spots," particularly concerning retirees. "There is absolutely no doubt that France is threatened" by the financial crisis, LR president Bruno Retailleau also affirmed during a trip to Lognes (Seine-et-Marne).