Marine Le Pen Threatens to Bring Down French Government Over $47.6 Billion Budget Cuts

French Prime Minister François Bayrou plans to scrap two public holidays and freeze welfare as well as get rid of 3,000 public-sector worker posts by 2026.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou attends a news conference to present a major public finance recovery plan for 2026, in Paris on July 15, 2025. Abdul Saboor/Reuters

French conservative politician Marine Le Pen has vowed to bring down the government unless Prime Minister François Bayrou rows back massive budget cuts.

On July 15, Bayrou announced drastic measures to the Senate to reduce the public deficit by 43.8 billion euros (nearly $51 billion) in 2026.