KMT, TPP block consideration of special defense budget for 5th time

Taipei, Dec. 30 (CNA) Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmakers on Tuesday blocked a bill authorizing a special defense budget of NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.8 billion) from being placed on the agenda for Friday's Legislative Yuan plenary session, the opposition's fifth such move this month.

The special budget was approved by the Cabinet on Nov. 27 to fund weapons procurement and joint development programs with the United States from 2026 to 2033.

During a meeting of the Legislature's Procedure Committee, the KMT and TPP blocked a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) proposal to include the budget in the agenda of Friday's plenary session, instead passing a KMT-backed agenda with a 10-8 vote.

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The blocking of the special budget came as China conducted a second day of large-scale military drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, in an apparent response to a US$11.1 billion U.S. arms sale to Taiwan announced by Washington on Dec. 17.

Referencing the drills, KMT Legislative caucus Secretary-General Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) argued that the ruling DPP bore responsibility for the drills, noting that Chinese warplanes and vessels never crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line while the KMT was in power.

"The KMT's resolute position has been to invest in combat readiness, but also to invest in peace," he said.

Lo claimed it was President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) who was in fact blocking the special defense budget by refusing to address the Legislature and take questions, as the KMT and TPP have demanded.

Lai said in an interview Sunday that he was open to delivering a state-of-the-nation address in the Legislature, but has argued that legislative interpellation of the head of state would violate the principle of separation of powers set out in the Constitution.

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Meanwhile, DPP lawmaker Puma Shen (沈伯洋) slammed the opposition parties for not only blocking the budget, but refusing to even discuss it.

He argued that the function of the Procedure Committee is merely to assign a number to a bill and send it to the relevant committee.

If the opposition wants to exercise oversight, the special budget should be sent to the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee and scrutinized there, Shen said.