Finance Minister Avraham Hirchson said Wednesday that "in order to continue the trend of Israel's economic stability and power, we must approve the budget. We can't [wait for] the month of March [to approve] the budget; it must be approved by December 31. Otherwise, the ones who will pay the price of the delays are the poor." Hirchson made the statements at a meeting with members of the Kadima faction in preparation for the opening of the Knesset's winter session.