CHP’s Kıliç slams Treasury’s ‘excessive borrowing’ strategy

Ankara – Gülcan Kılıç, a Member of Parliament for Mersin from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), sharply criticized the Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek’s response regarding the government’s 807 billion TL in excessive borrowing. Kış stated: “While billions are held in the Treasury’s vaults, citizens struggle with credit card debt and rent burdens. This budget was prepared not for the people, but for the interest lobby.”

📈 Excessive borrowing strategy draws fire

Kılıç highlighted that the Treasury borrowed a total of 1.7 trillion TL in the first seven months of 2025, with 807 billion TL of that amount being surplus to immediate needs. She stressed that Minister Şimşek’s reply to her parliamentary inquiry avoided specific figures, instead offering bureaucratic justifications.

“We asked for a figure, we received rote sentences. Justifying excessive borrowing as a ‘strategy’ serves the interest lobbies, not the public,” Kış asserted.

The CHP deputy strongly reacted to the Treasury’s characterization of the surplus funds as a “cash buffer,” arguing that the Treasury is enriching itself through borrowing while citizens drown in debt. She pointed to deteriorating household finance statistics:

• Average Credit Card Debt: Reached 120,000 TL
• Minimum Wage: Stagnated at 22,000 TL
• Pension Payments: Fell to 14,000 TL

“While the people live on debt, the Treasury tells a success story built on debt,” Kış remarked, accusing the government of a lack of transparency.

⛓️ Interest lobby and the cost to the people

Kılıç argued that the lack of transparency confirms that money taken from the public’s pocket is being channeled directly to the interest lobby.

“You manage the economy with trust, not with debt. The Treasury’s excuse of a cash buffer is a chain forged upon the nation’s future,” she stated.

Concluding her statement, Kış emphasized that the evasion of facts by the Treasury indicates a deepening economic crisis. “This response shows the economic crisis is deepening. We will continue to hold them accountable for every penny taken from the public,” she vowed.