CSU board member Reichhart calls for abolition of the Mütterrente

The so-called Mütterrente III takes effect from the coming year. It is the third stage of a regulation that is intended to gradually upgrade child-rearing periods for children born before 1992. This is meant to close gaps in old-age provision for mothers who were disadvantaged in the earlier statutory pension system.

Söder's pet project in the coalition agreement

Reichhart is not alone in his criticism. Fellow party member and European policy politician Manfred Weber had also described the Mütterrente as a "Wohltat" in his Whitsun letter. In the same letter, Weber also formulated the programmatic claim: "Wir können uns Zustimmung nicht erkaufen, wir müssen sie mit Ideen verdienen."

In April, the chairman of the Junge Union, Johannes Winkel, had already questioned the Mütterrente. Winkel criticized that the money was being paid out according to the "Gießkannenprinzip" – and not according to need. This positioned the Union's youth organization against the project as well.

Criticism also from Weber and the Junge Union

Bayerischer Rundfunk reports that there is "once again displeasure over the Mütterrente within the CSU." This increases the pressure on Söder, who had pushed through the expansion of the Mütterrente against the objections of the CDU and SPD within the coalition.

Observers interpret the statements from the CSU and the Junge Union as part of a broader debate about the restructuring of the welfare state. Reichhart had emphasized that, for him, it was important when pursuing reforms not to hold on to existing benefits, but to fundamentally examine which projects were still viable.

The expanded Mütterrente is expressly anchored in the coalition agreement between the Union and the SPD. A reversal or abolition would therefore only be possible within the federal government with the consent of the SPD. A corresponding change to pension law would also have to be passed in the Bundestag.

High polling pressure on the Union

The criticism from the CSU comes at a time when the Union as a whole is struggling with low poll ratings. In his Whitsun letter, Weber had called for regaining approval not through material gifts but through political ideas. Reichhart is now picking up this line with his demand to put cherished social benefits to the test.

Reichhart is responsible for the party's finances as treasurer on the CSU board. His statement is therefore particularly relevant within the party because it is formulated not only politically but also with a view to the financial viability of social policy promises.

The report on the renewed criticism of the Mütterrente was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on June 12, 2026. It is based on the original piece by Bayerischer Rundfunk. The exact coordination processes within the CSU on the issue are not publicly known so far.