TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP Caucus Secretary-General Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) said the Cabinet could seek constitutional interpretation to challenge budget cuts passed by the legislature that slashed NT$207.5 billion (US$6.34 billion) from the central government purse on Tuesday.

Legislators began voting on over 3,000 bills targeting spending on Friday and completed the process by passing the 2025 central government budget on Tuesday. The KMT caucus voted with the TPP to pass bills cutting central government spending on foreign affairs, publicity, defense, the electricity utility, and other areas.

After the bill passed, Wu held a press conference and said the scope of the budget cuts could affect the Cabinet’s ability to appoint staff to government branches, per CNA. Wu said this was true for the Control Yuan, which had 50% of its budget cut.

Wu pointed to a 2006 constitutional court ruling that stated the legislature may not prevent other government branches from appointing staff via budget cuts. For this reason, she would not rule out filing an appeal to the constitutional court for interpretation.

Wu called the third reading of the budget bill “chaotic,” and said it would take time to calculate the exact scope of the cuts and freezes. She also thanked members of the public who protested the cuts.