PSD threatens that it will not vote for the budget, after the amendment regarding aid for pensioners failed in the joint committees / What the Minister of Labor says

PSD Senator Daniel Zamfir asked the Ministry of Finance to find funding solutions for pensions aid, threatening that otherwise PSD will not vote for the budget project in Parliament, after the amendment regarding the social package did not pass in the joint budget-finance committees, according to Digi24. At the same time, the Minister of Labor, Florin Manole, stated that 2.8 million pensioners and 300,000 children need to know that PNL, USR, and AUR have not put any solution on the table.

"It is already becoming irritating that you keep telling us that you cannot find money for this amount of 1.1 billion, which is 0.04% of GDP. Let someone tell me that it is a dead end or that the budget is stuck at 0.048%. Regardless of what consequences you are trying to tell us, I clearly say that PSD will not vote – with the consequences you mention," said Daniel Zamfir, according to HotNews.

Florin Manole emphasized on the other hand that social assistance from the budget of the Ministry of Labor has been reduced by 1.1 billion lei compared to the previous allocation, and the ministry is recording a total loss of almost 8 billion lei in the 2026 budget.

Manole rejected claims regarding an allocation of 1.7 billion lei, arguing that there is no law to support this amount. He also criticized AUR for inconsistency in votes, reminding that the party voted differently on the same topic on consecutive days. PSD will support the amendments in the joint plenary, and the final vote on the budget is expected on Thursday.

Manole avoided commenting on a possible exit of PSD from the government, mentioning an internal consultation with 5,000 members to make a decision.