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PARIS (AP) \u2014 France\u2019s prime minister proposed on Tuesday the elimination of two public holidays from the country\u2019s annual calendar \u2014 possibly Easter Monday and the day marking the Allied victory over the Nazis<\/a> \u2014 to save money in next year\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n That’s among a raft of spending cuts laid out by Prime Minister Francois Bayrou<\/a> in a sweeping, and potentially doomed, budget plan. He argued that removing two state holidays would bring in tax revenues generated from economic activity, contributing to around 44 billion euros ($51.3 billion) in overall savings.<\/p>\n President Emmanuel Macron tasked Bayrou with crafting a budget that shaves costs to bring down France\u2019s staggering debt and deficit<\/a> \u2014 while also adding billions in new defense spending<\/a> to face what Macron says are resurgent threats from Russia and beyond.<\/p>\n Bayrou questioned the religious importance of Easter Monday. And Victory Day, celebrated on May 8, comes in a month that has become a \u201cveritable Gruyere,\u201d or holey cheese, of days off that includes May Day and the Catholic holiday of Ascension, he said.<\/p>\n He said that those holidays were just suggestions, and that he was open to other ideas. France currently has 11 official holidays per year.<\/p>\n With no parliamentary majority, Macron\u2019s centrist grouping must win support from adversaries on the left and right to pass the budget this fall. Bayrou’s proposals, which are just a first step in the budget process, were quickly assailed by unions and the far-right National Rally, the largest single party in the lower house of Parliament.<\/p>\n Bayrou\u2019s job is precarious, and he could be voted out if he fails to reach compromise on the budget.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n