Marine Le Pen has accused Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government of spreading “false information” about the fallout from rejecting France’s contentious 2025 budget.
Le Pen, leader of the National Rally (RN), dismissed claims that blocking the budget would leave citizens without pensions, salaries, or healthcare access, calling such statements a blatant attempt to mislead the public.
Former Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne had warned that censoring the Social Security budget could cause widespread disruptions, such as unpaid pensions and non-functional health cards by January 1. However, Le Pen, writing in Le Figaro, countered: “It is impossible that civil servants or debt interest won’t be paid, even without a budget.” She accused the government of using “fake news” to deflect blame onto the RN, labeling the tactic a dangerous threat to democracy.
Le Pen wasn’t alone in rejecting the doomsday scenario. Renaissance MP Yaël Braun-Pivet, President of the French Assembly, assured citizens that constitutional safeguards prevent a U.S.-style government shutdown. She pointed out that the government could enact temporary measures, such as special tax laws and spending decrees, to ensure salaries, pensions, and essential services continue uninterrupted.
While Braun-Pivet acknowledged that a budget rejection would cause political instability, she urged calm, emphasizing, “We have solutions. We are responsible.”
The crisis comes as prominent European nationalist leaders, including Le Pen, Viktor Orbán, Geert Wilders, and Matteo Salvini, gathered in Brussels for the Patriots for Europe summit, signaling a growing wave of conservative cooperation across the continent.
