Smotrich said set to propose shuttering 5 ministries in effort to curb deficit spending

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will propose closing five government ministries as part of a Treasury plan set to be unveiled in the coming days to get Israel’s ballooning deficit spending in check amid the continued economic strains of the ongoing war, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

According to the report, Smotrich will propose that each of the coalition’s five parties offer to close one of the ministries they hold, though officials at the Finance Ministry have recommended that twice that number be shuttered.

The report adds that the move is an effort to tamp down criticism after Smotrich’s recent budget proposal did not include the closing of ministries seen as superfluous or cuts to coalition spending, and also says it’s meant to quiet opposition from the Histadrut labor federation.