Former German Union faction leader Jens Spahn resigns from budget committee after absence controversy

Updated: September 28, 2026, 1:10 PM

Jens Spahn's recent conduct has drawn criticism, even from within his own party. Photo: Lars Berg/dpa

dpa/taz — Former Union parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn is withdrawing from the German Bundestag's Budget Committee, according to information obtained by the German Press Agency (dpa). A message from the CDU politician to Union members of the committee, first reported by Der Spiegel, has been reviewed by dpa.

In the message, Spahn wrote: "Dear colleagues, after careful consideration over the weekend, I will relinquish my seat on the Budget Committee. Everything surrounding my person has become so politicized at the moment that normal work is hardly possible. Moreover, I sense in and around myself that my resignation in July is still far too recent for me to fully dive back in as if nothing had happened."

Spahn added that, in coordination with parliamentary group leader Thorsten Frei, he would initially focus on his constituency work and his family. "We will decide on my future substantive priorities with a bit of distance," he wrote. The message was signed, "Yours, Jens."

Unrest Over Absence from the Budget Committee

Spahn's decision comes in response to controversy over his absence from the plenary session on two days during the previous sitting week. The trigger was the publication of a photo by Bild that allegedly showed Spahn on the Italian island of Sardinia with his son in his arms during the ongoing Bundestag sitting week. Bild later retracted the photo, stating it was "taken in a private setting" and that its publication violated "its own rules."

According to dpa, Spahn's absence caused irritation among CDU and CSU lawmakers. Reports from Stern, Der Spiegel, and ARD indicate that a discussion took place on Friday within the parliamentary group's budget working group, after several of its 14 members reportedly demanded Spahn's expulsion from the committee.

The media outlets reported that the parliamentary group leadership intervened, and a probationary period until the end of the year was agreed upon. There were reportedly calls for Spahn to voluntarily withdraw from the committee.

Spahn had resigned as parliamentary group leader in July after he and his husband became parents via a surrogate mother — a move that sparked massive outrage within the party. Surrogacy is illegal in Germany, and the Union party advocates for maintaining this ban. In early September, the parliamentary group leadership announced that Spahn would receive the Budget Committee post.

According to Stern, Spahn explained his two-day absence as due to "family reasons." His circle stated, "A substitute for the Budget Committee meeting was organized, as is customary."

In early July, Spahn had spoken out in favor of stricter rules for sick leave certification. The coalition of the Union and SPD had agreed at the time that a medical certificate of incapacity to work must be submitted from the first day of illness. It should also no longer be possible to call in sick by phone. "It is a question of fairness toward colleagues who sometimes drag themselves to work with a mild headache that there must be proof of incapacity for work," Spahn said at the time.

This article has been updated.