Is Mélenchon telling the truth when he attacks Borne?

Little music has become everyday on television sets or on social networks. Since the political turmoil of the 2025 budget which shook the country in December, with the censorship of Michel Barnier's government on December 4 at its peak, the Insoumis and part of the left are now targeting the comments of Renaissance elected officials. And more precisely, on their alarmist declarations of the risks of a scenario without a voted budget for the new year.

Thursday, it was the turn of LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon to take up this argument on his X account: “From today, according to Élisabeth Borne, pensions should no longer be paid and Vitale cards should no longer work. The Macronists lied again; they wanted to scare people to prevent them from thinking freely.” The multi-candidate in the presidential election is directly targeting the former Prime Minister and now Minister of Education.

“Your Vitale card no longer works, there are no more pensions”

Guest on LCI on November 24, Élisabeth Borne pointed out “the consequences” of the vote on the motion of censure of Michel Barnier's government. “If the Social Security budget was censored, that would mean that on January 1, your Vitale card would no longer work. This means that pensions are no longer paid. This means that civil servants are no longer paid after a while”the Calvados MP had argued. “If the social security budget is not adopted, there is no longer any solution. Your Vitale card no longer works, there are no more pensions”she also argued on France 2. Or the scenario of a “shutdown» in the French style, ultimately avoided.

“The Macronists” do they have “lied again”as Jean-Luc Mélenchon argues, when the French could indeed use their Vitale card and benefit from their retirement for the people concerned on January 2? Censorship of the executive was not synonymous with blocking the country thanks to a special law. Voted in the National Assembly on December 16, then in the Senate on December 18, the text was promulgated on December 20 by the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron.

Ensuring the functioning of the country

A central text which aims to “ensure the continuity of national life and the regular functioning of public services”awaiting a 2025 budget proposal from the new Prime Minister, François Bayrou. According to article 45 of the organic law relating to finance laws (LOLF), this “special bill” authorizes the government “to continue to collect existing taxes until the vote on the finance law of the year”.

In fact, the special law ensures the functioning of the country by allowing the financing of the State and its social security organizations. Without this vote, from which the Rebels preferred to abstain, the words of Élisabeth Borne, which also predate the censorship of the Barnier government and out of context, could have proven true.