[1] In March 2017, when she was a jurist at the Tax and Customs Administration, Palmen wrote an internal memo about childcare benefits recipients who had been wrongly accused of fraud starting in 2015.
[1][4][2] Palmen joined New Social Contract (NSC) when it was founded ahead of the November 2023 general election by Pieter Omtzigt, who had helped uncover the childcare benefits scandal.
[8][7] She cited the childcare benefits scandal as her motivation to enter politics, and she has advocated for a "government that serves the public interest and acts in service of society".
[11] The House passed a motion by Palmen and Michiel van Nispen (SP) urging the government to adopt recommendations by Jos Silvis to seek legal advice from a range of law firms.
[12] Palmen proposed several adjustments to the social safety net with Mohammed Mohandis (GL/PvdA) to simplify the system and to make it more forgiving to those in poverty.
[14] An emergency committee requested by her predecessor concluded in January 2025 that the operation would take between 15 and 20 more years in its current approach and that government agencies were unsuitable to determine compensation because of their lack of generosity.