In the general debate on the 2026 State Budget in the Assembly of the Republic, PAN spokesperson and sole member of parliament, Inês de Sousa Real, began by questioning Prime Minister Luís Montenegro about an alleged "cut of €890 million in housing support, €11 million in the rehabilitation of public parking," and a reduction in "responses for victims of domestic violence and homeless people."

While acknowledging that "the budget isn't enough for everything," the PAN leader also said that "political choices" must be made, arguing that the government "remains insensitive" by, for example, not lowering VAT on food and animal health.

"This is a matter of political choice and, in our view, a flawed one. Lowering VAT on animal health costs 16 million euros. This is perfectly acceptable within the correct calculations I've been discussing so far."

The PAN leader also advocated for more support to recruit professionals for the Unified Health System (SUS), such as extending the hours of the "Creche Feliz" network to support night workers, and lamented what she called a devaluation of environmental protection.

"We have cuts of €9 million to the ICNF (Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests), and we also have a €250 million cut in climate funding," she lamented, concluding her speech by calling for increased funding for firefighter associations.

In his reply, the head of government stated that he wanted to "refer some of the issues raised by Sousa Real to the special process," adding that he "does not want to close the door on the convergence of positions, especially since PAN is one of the political forces that has shown a willingness to bring some proposals together."

Regarding support for victims of domestic violence and homeless people, Luís Montenegro promised updates "very soon," adding that they will be related "to another proposal that has already been included in previous budgets regarding a housing fund" proposed "by an opposition party."

Regarding the ICNF and housing, Montenegro assured "that there will be no cuts," explaining that "what often happens is the reflection in the budgets" of "investments that are ending, that do not continue their multi-year implementation."

"This doesn't mean cuts. It means that while we have European financial frameworks in place, and the RRP in particular, there may be one or another specific program whose value fluctuates, but this doesn't mean budget cuts from the point of view of political commitment to a particular sector," he explained.