PP attacks Montero in Senate over three years without budgets
In a tense Senate session, the Partido Popular sharply criticized First Vice President and Finance Minister María Jesús Montero for three years without approving general budgets. PP senators ironically wished 'happy birthday' recalling the date of the last approved budgets. Montero defended the government's management against accusations of budgetary inaction.
The Senate session on September 30, 2025, turned into a scene of political confrontation when Partido Popular (PP) senators lashed out at María Jesús Montero. The Finance Minister, who also serves as First Vice President of the Government, was held responsible for the absence of general state budgets for three consecutive years.
The trigger for the criticisms was the third anniversary of the approval of the last budgets, which took place on October 1, 2022. Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, a PP senator and president of the Junta of Castilla y León, led the attack with a sarcastic remark: 'Happy birthday, Ms. Montero.' This phrase directly alluded to the indefinite extension of public accounts, which the socialist Government has maintained since then due to the lack of stable parliamentary majorities.
Other PP spokespeople, such as Cuca Gamarra, the party's general secretary, reinforced the accusations, arguing that budgetary inaction has stalled key investments in health, education, and infrastructure. 'Three years without budgets means three years stealing the future from Spaniards,' Gamarra stated during her intervention. The PP attributes this situation to the Government's reliance on separatist and radical left allies, complicating negotiations for new accounts.
For her part, Montero responded by defending the budget extension as a pragmatic measure in a context of political fragmentation. 'We have extended them to ensure stability and social spending, not out of whim,' the minister affirmed, recalling that the Government has executed European funds and maintained economic growth despite the difficulties. She emphasized that negotiations for the 2025 budgets are underway, though without a specific approval date.
This exchange reflects the growing tensions in Congress and the Senate ahead of the 2027 regional and municipal elections. The PP, in opposition, uses the budgetary issue to wear down Pedro Sánchez's Executive, while the Government insists that the priority is post-pandemic recovery and ecological transition. No concrete advances were reported in the session, which concluded without binding resolutions.