The President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, announced on RTL this Wednesday, January 28, that he wants the upper house to use a "preliminary question" on the 2026 finance bill. This procedure would allow the text to be rejected as soon as it arrives, without entering into its examination, in order to quickly send it back to the National Assembly for final adoption.
Gérard Larcher deemed the budget "bad," but felt there was "no reason to reopen the debate" in the current political climate. The draft budget bill was sent to the Senate after two motions of no confidence were rejected in the National Assembly, and is scheduled for debate on Thursday.
A new 49.3 is expected as early as Friday
In the event of immediate rejection by the Senate, the text could return as early as Friday to the Assembly, where the Prime Minister would once again invoke the government's responsibility via a third 49.3. The proposed timetable would pave the way for a final adoption of the budget around February 2nd or 3rd.
The President of the Senate also pointed to the lack of a majority in the National Assembly, which he attributes to the dissolution decided in June 2024, deeming it necessary to allow the country to "continue to move forward", even "in bad conditions".
