SPD Minister Verena Hubertz retracts planned housing benefit cut

The housing benefit cuts planned by Minister for Building Verena Hubertz (SPD) will now reportedly not happen. This was said by SPD General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf to "Stern". The cut had been based on austerity mandates from Finance Minister and SPD Chairman Lars Klingbeil.

"The housing benefit will not be cut - one of the best pieces of news from the budget agreement," Klüssendorf said. For the SPD, it was particularly important during the negotiations to "get rid of this proposed cut to avoid leaving hundreds of thousands of people with their exorbitant rent costs."

The cost of living is continually rising, and many people no longer know how they can afford their daily expenses, according to General Secretary Klüssendorf. "And therefore, the cut to the housing benefit would have been a very serious mistake."

Hendrik Bollmann, the SPD parliamentary group spokesperson for building and housing policy, stated that as long as sufficiently affordable housing is not available, the benefits that support people in housing should not be arbitrarily cut. "While there will be no adjustment on January 1, all other planned cuts are off the table." He told the magazine that for people with low incomes, the housing benefit is "essential" to be able to cover their housing costs.