Merz Cabinet Reshuffle: Warken, Linnemann, Amthor – All Personnel Decisions

The most prominent change is likely the switch at the top of the Chancellery. Nina Warken, hitherto Federal Minister of Health, is to coordinate the government business of the CDU politician as the future head of the Chancellery. Merz justified his choice by saying that she had shown as a minister that she could "führen, dass sie Reformen auch gegen Widerstände durchsetzen kann". Warken had "mit sehr viel Mut, mit Augenmaß, mit Ehrlichkeit, mit Empathie, eine Reform vorgelegt, die beispielhaft ist für all die großen Reformen, die wir in der Koalition noch leisten wollen", he praised.

Warken Moves to the Chancellery

With the appointment of Warken, a woman will, in the Chancellor's words, head the Chancellery for the first time in the history of the Federal Republic. "Mit ihr wird in das deutsche Bundeskanzleramt zum ersten Mal in der Geschichte unseres Landes eine Frau einziehen als die Chefin des Bundeskanzleramtes", said Merz. Warken has been a member of the Bundestag since 2013 with a brief interruption and most recently served on the Budget Committee and the Committee on Digital Affairs and State Modernization. The 47-year-old lawyer and mother of three served as parliamentary managing director of the Union parliamentary group in the previous legislative term.

In the Health Ministry, Carsten Linnemann succeeds Warken. The 48-year-old business administrator has been a member of the Bundestag for 17 years and was most recently one of the deputy parliamentary group leaders. In July 2023, he moved to the CDU party headquarters as General Secretary. Linnemann is considered pro-business and reform-oriented – for example, with his demand for a drastic reduction of the roughly 90 statutory health insurance funds. When asked whether ten funds would be enough in Germany, he replied: "Ich finde, zehn Krankenkassen in Deutschland reichen." His future ministry, Merz said, is one "das für den am schnellsten wachsenden Sektor unserer Volkswirtschaft steht".

Linnemann to Lead the Health Ministry

The change is also justified by Linnemann's experience in coalition work. "Er hat im Koalitionsausschuss die Themen alle mitverhandelt", it was said from CDU circles. Merz said: "Wir müssen den Reformkurs beibehalten und dafür braucht es einen Minister, der standfest und reformwillig zugleich ist, auch im Gegenwind." The planned austerity program in the healthcare system is intended to close a funding gap of 18.8 billion euros and avoid contribution increases.

Philipp Amthor is to succeed the previous officeholder Michael Meister as Minister of State for Federal-State Cooperation in the Chancellery. The 33-year-old was most recently Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Digital Affairs, where he was primarily responsible for reducing bureaucracy. At a press conference, Merz emphasized that Amthor brings his experience "aus Modernisierungs- und Digitalisierungsagenda des Ministeriums, dem er bislang als Parlamentarischer Staatssekretär angehört hat" as well as "die Koordinierung in der gesamten föderalen Modernisierungsagenda" into the Chancellery. He is also "mit den Chefs der Staatskanzleien in allen 16 Bundesländern gut vernetzt".

Amthor Becomes Minister of State for Federal-State Cooperation

Amthor is regarded by not a few in the CDU as one of the most talented young members of the party. Merz values him because he responds to "Druck und Kritik mit Humor und geistiger Schneidigkeit zugleich". At 31, Amthor became mayor of Donaueschingen, and he has been a member of the Bundestag since 2013. On the negotiations with the federal states, Merz said: "Er weiß also, wovon er spricht." In future, Amthor is to coordinate cooperation between the federal and state governments in the Chancellery.

Hoppermann as New CDU General Secretary

There is also a change at the top of the CDU party headquarters. Franziska Hoppermann, the party's previous treasurer, is to become the new General Secretary and thus succeed Linnemann. The 44-year-old business graduate from Hamburg-Volksdorf has been a member of the Bundestag since 2021 for the constituency of Hamburg-Wandsbek. Since 2025, she has also headed the Frauen Union. She served as office director in the Hamburg Authority for Justice and Consumer Protection before being elected to the Bundestag in 2021. Her appointment is seen as a signal for greater unity in the party ahead of three state elections in September.

At the same time, a personnel change is also taking shape at the parliamentary group leadership: Thorsten Frei is to be elected by the CDU/CSU Bundestag parliamentary group as the new parliamentary group leader next Wednesday, succeeding the resigned Jens Spahn. The parliamentary managing director of the SPD Bundestag parliamentary group, Dirk Wiese, told the "Rheinische Post" that with all CDU politicians in their new functions, there had already been "eine vertrauensvolle Zusammenarbeit auf ihren bisherigen Positionen" in recent weeks and months. Frei as the new parliamentary group leader was apparently "die einfachste Lösung für den Kanzler", said ZDF chief correspondent Andrea Maurer.

Meanwhile, the future of Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder remains open. According to a report in the "Bild" newspaper, Merz also wants to fill this position anew. Schnieder (CDU) informed individual members of parliament early in the morning by text message that the Chancellor had informed him of his dismissal late the previous afternoon. "Der Bundeskanzler hat mir gestern am späten Nachmittag mitgeteilt, dass er mich als Verkehrsminister entlassen wird", reads the message, which is available to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Schnieder thanked the members of parliament and wrote: "Ich wollte Euch vorher informieren." However, the designated successor, CDU Bundestag member Fritz Güntzler, is said to have pulled out shortly before the announcement scheduled for 9:00 a.m.

Open Personnel Matters and Opposition Criticism

Merz did not comment directly on the Schnieder case on Thursday, but announced further changes. "Es wird weitere Veränderungen im Bundeskabinett geben", he said in his statement with the new cabinet members. He would inform about this "zu gegebener Zeit", which needed "nicht zuletzt angesichts der Sommerpause noch ein paar Tage und vielleicht auch mehr Zeit". He would decide "ohne Zeitdruck und mit der gebotenen Sorgfalt und den Gesprächen, die dazu notwendig sind".

The opposition sharply criticized the approach. The Greens' parliamentary group leaders Britta Haßelmann and Katharina Dröge stated that after a "verpatzten Jahr", Merz was now pulling "die Reißleine". So far, the coalition had been characterized above all by "schlechtes Regierungshandwerk": "Die Erkenntnis, dass es so nicht weitergehen kann, scheint im Kanzleramt angekommen zu sein." They accused Merz of a "Salami-Taktik" that constantly triggered new speculation and unrest. "Das wirkt weder professionell noch gut durchdacht."

Left Party parliamentary group leader Sören Pellmann told the "Rheinische Post" that a different policy from the black-red government was not to be hoped for. The appointed personnel would "nur die Kahlschlagpolitik fortsetzen". The fact that "ausgerechnet Hardliner Linnemann" was to be responsible for health and care was to be understood as a declaration of hostilities. In parts of the Union itself, the approach is meanwhile described as "planlos" and "chaotisch".

With a view to the overall course, Merz told ZDF that it was "eine Gelegenheit, noch einmal über die Aufstellung der Bundesregierung nachzudenken". But he was also "ungeduldig, weil man die Dinge schnell voranbringen will". Since taking office as CDU chairman, he had succeeded in bringing calm to the party,