Following Klingbeil’s call for difficult reforms, SPD finance politicians quickly endorsed his proposals while simultaneously advocating for a more equitable tax system, including a swift implementation of a wealth tax. This response indicates a struggle within the party to unify behind Klingbeil’s agenda, as memories of past reform traumas, particularly those associated with Gerhard Schröder’s Agenda 2010, loom large. The SPD aims to consolidate support and leverage recent momentum against the CDU in ongoing reform discussions.