Estelle Mercier, a deputy from the Socialist Party (PS) and head of the budget for her group, said the current budget leaves no room for compromise and warned that the upcoming discussions would be extremely challenging. This, she argued, sends a negative signal to the government. Mercier urged the executive to revise its approach, emphasizing the need to prioritize contributions from the wealthiest individuals and large corporations to support the budget. Meanwhile, Ecologist deputies condemned the budget as one that threatens the ability to live in society and on the planet. They plan to censure the budget and criticized the government for targeting retirees with pensions over 1,260 euros, family allowances, and the index point for civil servants, rather than taxing high inheritances and oil profits. Eric Coquerel, president of the Finance Commission of the Left (LFI), called the budget "disconnected from the realities" of the country and "recessionary." He criticized the reliance on measures such as pension increases, VAT increases, and fees for BTS enrollment, which he said would affect the majority of the French population while sparing the ultra-rich. Coquerel estimated budget cuts of 2.4 billion euros in the "work and employment" sector, 643 million euros in school education, and 448 million euros in housing, mainly due to a freeze on APL, a type of housing assistance. He warned of a potential public rejection if the government uses Article 49 paragraph 3 of the Constitution, which allows passing a budget without a parliamentary vote. The Ecological deputies also called the budget "unbearable and unacceptable" and pledged to reject it. The PS, which had previously avoided rejecting the government, responded with a cold attitude, echoing Mercier's claim that "there is no hand extended, there is absolutely nothing that allows us to look for a compromise." The National Rally (RN) criticized the budget as "disheartening" but was not inclined to reject it. Jean-Philippe Tanguy, the "budget man" for Marine Le Pen's group, accused the government of presenting "fake calculations" to show savings when, in fact, the budget includes "an increase in spending." He noted that there are between 14 and 17 billion euros in increases in mandatory levies, contradicting the government's claim of no generalized tax increases. Philippe Juvin, the general rapporteur, called for "extremely humble" debates, given the current economic situation. He argued that the government's target of a 5% public deficit by 2027 remains insufficient and uncertain, but stressed that "it is absolutely necessary to reduce spending." He noted that increasing amounts of public money are being used to repay debt interest rather than funding hospitals, education, and research. Charles de Courson, Juvin's predecessor, recalled that the High Council of Public Finances had found the government's 2027 growth forecasts "optimistic" and expressed concern that the recovery would depend on a "massive increase in mandatory levies." Boris Vallaud, Patrick Kanner, and Johanna Rolland, leaders of deputies and senators, called in a letter for the government to revise the draft budget "without delay," citing a serious economic, social, and budgetary situation in France. They warned that the budget continues to place the burden on the most modest citizens while the wealthiest remain untouched. They urged the head of government to amend the draft, possibly through a corrective letter, and noted that the government might be forced to use Article 49 paragraph 3 of the Constitution to pass the budget without a vote, requiring the PS or RN to abstain from censuring it. The government has indicated it would negotiate with the PS, but the socialists have threatened a censure, calling the draft "not acceptable." They cited measures affecting retirees without taxing high earners, reductions in wealth taxation alongside a freeze on assistance for those in need, and demands on the sick without similar efforts from large corporations. They warned that the government might be forced to turn to the National Rally, which they deemed politically and morally unacceptable ahead of the presidential election. In case of deadlock, the government could also resort to budgetary decrees to pass its initial budget without any vote, an unprecedented move under the Fifth Republic.