Legislature votes to review 2.4% of gov't budget

Taipei, Jan. 16 (CNA) Taiwan's opposition-controlled Legislature continued to block the 2026 central government budget on Friday but voted to decouple NT$71.8 billion (US$2.27 billion), 2.4 percent of the total, for a separate, expedited review of public welfare and infrastructure programs, including the popular TPass commuter initiative.

The motion, tabled by the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmakers, who together hold a majority in the Legislature, was passed 58-49 and unbundled 38 items from the broader NT$3.03 trillion budget deadlock.

These items will bypass committee review and proceed directly to closed-door negotiations convened by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜).

The allocation includes NT$7.52 billion to sustain the TPass program, which currently serves 1.03 million commuters through 2029, and NT$3.19 billion to bridge gaps in childbirth subsidies for those under labor, civil servant and public school teacher insurance schemes.

Also included were NT$352 million for an expressway linking Kaohsiung and Pingtung County in southern Taiwan, NT$1.85 billion for a medication stocking program, and initiatives focused on river management and drainage improvements.

KMT caucus Secretary-General Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) described the projects as "urgent," noting that negotiations could start next week.

Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party condemned the move as an "ambush," saying the motion was distributed only 15 minutes before the session, leaving lawmakers almost no time to review the specifics of the NT$71.8 billion budget.

The NT$71.8 billion budget is part of NT$299.2 billion earmarked for "new capital expenditures and initiatives" that cannot be disbursed before the budget clears the Legislature unless separately authorized.

Cabinet Spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) criticized the move on Friday, stating that "every item in the budget is interconnected and vital to national progress."

Lee argued that the opposition's proposal to release only 2.4 percent of the total budget disregards public welfare and national development

The 2026 fiscal budget remains blocked as the opposition demands inclusion of funds for legislated pay raises for volunteer military personnel and increased pensions for retired police and firefighters, calling the omission "maliciously illegal."

The Executive Yuan maintains that these mandates, passed by the opposition in 2025, are unconstitutional and has requested an interpretation from the Constitutional Court.

Under the Budget Act, for plans other than "new capital expenditures and initiatives," funds may be disbursed according to original allocations or last year's actual spending if the budget is blocked in the Legislature.