The Council of Ministers approved the draft budget for 2026 and referred it to the National Assembly in preparation for discussion and approval, amid a government speech talking about an expected growth of 2.9%, a decrease in the deficit to 4.6%, and an increase in capital expenditures to 1.6 billion dinars. These are numbers that appear positive in appearance, but in essence they raise fundamental questions regarding the extent to which this budget is able to bring about a real change in the lives of citizens and achieve the economic and social justice that we all aspire to.

We reviewed the presentation of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Abdul Hakim Al-Shibli, who talked about major projects such as the National Carrier Project for water desalination, railways, and gas exploration, in addition to continuing support for bread, gas, and cancer insurance. Despite the importance of these items, what was proposed does not deviate from the generalities that we heard in previous budgets, without precise implementation indicators or an integrated plan to measure the development and social impact of these projects.

A careful reading of what was published about the budget shows that domestic revenues amounted to 10.196 billion dinars, a slight decrease from the previous year, while current expenditures rose to 11.456 billion dinars, figures that confirm the continued inflation of operational spending at the expense of development spending. As for the deficit of 2.125 billion dinars, it is a relative improvement in form, but it does not hide the fact that the structure of the economy has not changed, and that the gap between revenues and expenditures still exists without clear structural solutions.

We are facing a budget that speaks the language of financial sustainability, but it has not yet provided anything that guarantees the sustainability of income for the citizen or stimulates national investment. What is required is not only to reduce the deficit as a percentage of domestic product, but to redirect resources towards productive sectors that create job opportunities, support industry and agriculture, and restore confidence in the national economy.

In the National Assembly, we will exercise our oversight and legislative role with all responsibility, and we will discuss the budget items item by item, based on the firm conviction that public money is a trust, and that every dinar spent must be matched by a tangible impact on services, development and job opportunities. The Jordanian citizen does not expect financial schedules from the budget, but rather tangible results in his daily life, in education, health, infrastructure, and employment opportunities.

We are not opposed to numbers, but rather we demand that the numbers be honest in their reflection of reality. True financial reform begins with reforming spending priorities, rationalizing non-productive expenditures, and confronting administrative waste with courage. Major projects will not bring about transformation if they are not managed efficiently and are not linked to clear goals in the vision of economic modernization that we all believe in.

In conclusion, the 2026 budget should not be a duplicate of previous years’ budgets, but rather a turning point in the state’s financial thinking. We are facing an opportunity to redefine the relationship between the budget and society, between the state and the citizen, on the basis of transparency and results, not promises and expectations. What is needed today is not a new budget in numbers, but rather a new budget in philosophy, which makes the Jordanian person the focus and goal of development.