Jetten to test minority Cabinet's balancing act in debate with MP's on gov't plans

Today, on the second day of the parliamentary debate on the new government’s plans, Prime Minister Rob Jetten (D66) will answer parliamentarians’ many questions. His minority government will need opposition support to get any of its plans implemented. To keep the Cabinet’s options open, Jetten will have to navigate between the various parties across the political spectrum and offer compromises while also sticking to his coalition agreement. Today will be an indicator of whether he can achieve that balancing act.

The coalition already proved willing to compromise and adjust plans during the first day of the debate on Wednesday. A parliamentary majority, including the coalition parties, pledged support for a motion to soften the Cabinet’s plan to increase the state pension age.

But that was not parliament’s only concern with the coalition’s plans. Many speakers opposed the proposed cuts to healthcare and social security, RTL Nieuws reported. The opposition also has serious concerns about who will pay the bill for the government’s multi-billion-euro plans. Many parties fear that the middle class and the poor will bear the brunt of the costs, while their purchasing power cannot handle it.

For example, GroenLinks-PvdA leader Jesse Klaver had questions about the “freedom contribution,” an extra tax that the government wants to use to help fund extra defense spending. Klaver wanted to know why businesses and wealthier people aren’t contributing more to this. “Why is the bill being presented so one-sidedly?

ChristenUnie leader Mirjam Bikker is concerned that the plan to increase the healthcare deductible to €520 per year by 2030 will hit the middle class the hardest. “Because for the lowest incomes, there are often allowances and all kinds of benefits.” And higher incomes have enough room in their budgets to not notice much of the increase.

The opposition has already announced several motions, including the one concerning the softening of the state pension age increase. Klaver will also submit a motion to scrap the increase altogether. Surprisingly, the left-wing party will find support here from the far-right. PVV leader Geert Wilders is also against increasing the retirement age and said that he would “not in a hundred thousand years” support the proposal to only soften it.

As is almost traditional by now, Wilders also announced a motion of no confidence against the new Cabinet. That will not be successful.

In the government statement Jetten delivered at the start of Wednesday’s debate, he stressed that the Cabinet will seek cooperation within parliament and the Senate, and within society. “We will listen carefully and talk ourselves into submission,” Jetten said. “Democracy must be more than half plus one.”

Today, we’ll find out what this promise amounts to.