French National Assembly unanimously rejects budget bill

PARIS — France's National Assembly unanimously rejected the 2027 state budget bill Wednesday night, in a further sign that Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will have a tough time getting through €43 billion in budget savings.

458 lawmakers from both Emmanuel Macron's camp and the opposition voted against the first part of the text that deals with tax income. It had been extensively amended by various groups, resulting in a proposal no one was happy with. The second part of the text, which covers spending, was also struck down as a result. The government's draft budget will now go directly to the Senate where it will be debated from Nov. 20.

The French lower chamber had already rejected the other leg of the 2027 budget, which covers state pensions and the health care system. It will now be discussed in the Senate.

With France's economy stagnating, debt piling up and the risk of a financial crisis looming over the country, Lecornu's government is under pressure to put French finances in order. It has pledged to bring down the deficit — the difference between how much the government spends and how much it brings in — to 5% of the gross domestic product next year.

Budget Minister David Amiel warned on Wednesday that, after the amendments, the version of the budget rejected that night would have brought the deficit to 5.9%.

With Lecornu lacking a majority in the lower chamber, the rejection was widely expected and increases the chances that the government will try to force the text through. As the April 2027 presidential election approaches, the government has repeatedly insisted that it aims to adopt the budget by the end of the year — something it failed to do with the two previous budgets.

The government could either use Article 49.3 of the Constitution again, a provision that allows it to bypass a parliamentary vote but exposes it to no-confidence motions. It could also adopt the budget through executive orders, an unprecedented option in France's recent history.