During a hearing of the ministers of Economy and Public Accounts, the first criticisms of the budgetary texts appeared before the Finance Committee of the Senate. The proposed measures for local authorities were unanimously opposed. Right-wing senators criticized the level of effort required, while left-wing members denounced a lack of fairness in the tax burden. The High Council of Public Finance (HCFP), which evaluates the realism of the government's macroeconomic and budgetary proposals, raised concerns about the 2027 budget during the hearing on October 7. The senators echoed the HCFP's reservations, highlighting the institution's role under the Court of Auditors in assessing the feasibility of the financial plans introduced last week. Amélie de Montchalin, president of the HCFP, noted that the government's growth forecast for 2027—set at 1%—was "optimistic given recent developments." She also warned that the goal of reducing the deficit to 5% of GDP, after an estimated increase to 5.4% in 2026, would require significant savings. Her team estimated the total effort in the budget—excluding debt-related costs—at 40 billion euros, with 17 billion coming from new revenues and 23 billion from savings. The general rapporteur, Christine Lavarde, questioned the credibility of the government's economic projections. This is not the first time the HCFP has raised concerns, and the early review of the finance bill in the National Assembly committee suggests that these worries are valid. Despite this, the minister of Economy, Roland Lescure, defended his growth forecast as "solid" and "supported," even though it was slightly higher than the average of 0.8% predicted by economists. He also expressed confidence in the resilience of the French economy, despite international uncertainties. The government's positive outlook did not resonate strongly with right-wing senators. Christine Lavarde, the new general rapporteur of the committee, expressed surprise at the government's optimism, noting that the HCFP's assessment of the budget's assumptions was "very severe." She questioned the feasibility of the growth forecast and rejected the idea that the budget was "ambitious," arguing that an ambitious budget would not include an increase in the public deficit. The right-wing senators were also taken aback by the proposed increase in the number of civil servants, including those in ministerial departments. Senator Marie-Claire Carrère-Gee, the only other member of the LR group to speak, expressed confusion over the lack of clear communication from the government on this issue. Roland Lescure acknowledged that the budget is ambitious and will be difficult to achieve, citing significant uncertainties. He noted that while the worst-case scenarios are not certain, there are also areas of potential improvement. He emphasized that the government's efforts to reduce the deficit, excluding debt interest, would bring it down from 2.8% to 2.1%, although this comes at the cost of a 25 billion euro increase in debt-related expenses. The Finance Committee, representing a range of political views, expressed strong opposition to the proposed deductions from local authorities. A net contribution of 5.5 billion euros is requested from local authorities in 2027, a move that has sparked debate over fairness and feasibility. Centrist senator Bernard Delcros emphasized the need for a fair and acceptable contribution, while others called for adjustments to the proposed efforts. Two specific articles in the current finance bill have sparked tensions. Article 35 reduces reimbursements to local authorities from the VAT Compensation Fund by 2.1 billion euros, a move that senators are reluctant to support. Article 37, which introduces the Progressive Contribution of Local Authorities to the Budget Effort (CPEB), has also drawn criticism. The CPEB is designed to collect resources from local authorities in a progressive manner, targeting better-equipped territories. The left-wing senators criticized the budget for lacking fiscal fairness, questioning who would bear the financial burden. Socialist senator Florence Blatrix Contat raised concerns about the disproportionate impact on middle and lower-income groups through freezes on social benefits, APL, activity bonuses, and retirees' pensions. The government, however, emphasized that it had excluded the possibility of widespread tax increases, continuing measures from the previous year such as the increase in CSG on capital income and levies on the highest incomes. Despite these criticisms, the budget debates at the Palais du Luxembourg show no signs of easing. Roland Lescure has expressed openness to suggestions, as long as the deficit remains anchored at 5%. He emphasized the government's commitment to maintaining certain tax loopholes to support growth and innovation. The minister also highlighted the importance of the budget in providing confidence to economic actors.