KMT slams Lai's 'astronomical' US$40 billion defense proposal

Taipei, Nov. 26 (CNA) Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers criticized President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) "astronomical" US$40 billion defense proposal as lacking detail, and questioned whether it was part of a quid pro quo with U.S. President Donald Trump to allow Lai to transit through the United States.

Lai first outlined the special budget proposal, which requires the assent of the opposition-controlled Legislature, in a Washington Post op-ed on Tuesday (U.S. time).

Speaking to reporters, KMT lawmaker Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) said the "astronomical sum" for the proposal could only be secured through debt financing, adding that Lai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had provided little detail on how the money would be spent.

Hsu questioned whether Lai's commitment was made in exchange for Trump allowing him to make future stopovers.

Trump, who has repeatedly called on Taiwan to increase defense spending, reportedly nixed plans by Lai to transit through the United States in August en route to Taiwan's diplomatic allies in Latin America.

KMT lawmaker Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) said that while her party was not opposed to raising Taiwan's defense budget -- "given the deterioration in cross-strait relations under the DPP" -- the proposed US$40 billion amount would likely force cuts to social welfare, education and other spending.

She also noted that Washington has yet to deliver several existing weapons orders to Taiwan.

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In a statement, the KMT's legislative caucus said it would closely scrutinize the budget proposal to ensure that taxpayer dollars are protected.

Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), currently visiting Japan, said in a video message that the TPP supported a "reasonable" increase in security spending but would conduct a "practical and rational" review to ensure taxpayers' money is well spent.

He noted, however, that Lai was now pledging an additional US$40 billion, despite the government's fiscal 2026 defense budget already standing at NT$950 billion (US$30.2 billion), pending legislative approval.

At a news conference Wednesday morning, Lai said the proposed military investment was "necessary" given the growing threat Taiwan was facing from China, and called for support from opposition party lawmakers.

"[We] hope the opposition parties can support Taiwan's national security regardless of political stance, so that [we] can safeguard everyone's way of life and keep the economy growing," he said.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, the proposed US$40 billion supplementary defense budget will be spent over a period of eight years from 2026 to 2033.