Deputies adopted the 'revenues' part of the 2026 social security budget on Saturday, November 8, by 176 votes to 161 with 58 abstentions. This narrow vote allows debates to continue on the 'expenditures' part, which includes suspending the 2023 pension reform. Discussions will run until Wednesday, interrupted by the Armistice on November 11.
The vote on the 'revenues' part of the 2026 social security financing bill (PLFSS) kept the National Assembly on edge until the end. Adopted by 176 votes for against 161 and 58 abstentions, this section was heavily amended from the government version, removing many savings measures such as the surtax on mutual insurers, employer contributions on meal vouchers, and the end of tax exemptions on apprentice salaries. Deputies also reinstated the production tax C3S, previously suppressed, to avoid a five-billion-euro budget hole, according to Minister of Public Accounts Amélie de Montchalin.
Political divisions were stark: Renaissance and MoDem deputies voted in favor, Horizons split between for and abstentions, while Republicans (LR) abstained. On the left, the Socialist Party (PS) almost unanimously approved to continue debates, whereas La France Insoumise (LFI) and the National Rally (RN) voted against. PS leader Olivier Faure accused RN and LFI of playing 'the game of the worst,' stating the PS had done its 'duty' to preserve French purchasing power. LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon lambasted the PS for adopting the 'infamous revenues part,' noting only LFI had kept its word.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu acknowledged the vote without using article 49.3, stating: 'This vote is a step, parliamentary discussions continue. More than ever, the government is available to deputies and senators for the rest of the debates.' Debates on 'expenditures' began Saturday evening, with the suppression of the extension of medical franchises to dental consultations and medical devices. A heated debate concerns the doubling of these franchises by decree, aiming for 2.3 billion euros, but criticized for its impact on patients.
Article 45 bis suspending the 2023 pension reform will be examined Wednesday after 3 p.m., a key condition for the PS not to censure the government. With nearly 800 amendments left, parliamentarians must accelerate to meet constitutional deadlines, or risk sending the text to the Senate without a final vote. The projected deficit is 17.5 billion euros in 2026 (versus 23 billion in 2025), but amendments push this estimate to 20.6 billion according to general rapporteur Thibault Bazin, who insists on not exceeding 20 billion.
