Whenever the budget is debated in the Bundestag, it is the opposition's moment to shine. This is its opportunity to catalog everything it dislikes about the government's policies. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has now led the coalition of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) parties and the left-leaning Social Democrats (SPD) for 65 days. What have they been able to accomplish so far?

The chancellor began his speech with foreign policy. He said that Germany is living up to international expectations by once again taking on "the leadership role" in Europe. He sharply criticized Russia, saying that the government in Moscow was "a criminal regime that is using military force to challenge the very right of an entire country to exist." Russia's goal, he said, was to destroy Ukraine. "The German federal government will do everything in its power to prevent this."

In the tariffs dispute between the European Commission and the US, Merz announced further negotiations. The goal, he said, is to reach a new trade agreement with the lowest possible tariffs. He acknowledged that this would not be easy but said that an agreement could be reached by the fall.

On the domestic front, the chancellor spoke of a "turning point" in economic policy, which he says was made possible, in part, by the decision to take on significantly high........

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