TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Presidential Office said Thursday it would cancel all remaining weekend tours this year, citing budget issues.

The office said in a press release it would implement “various austerity plans,” including suspending the once-monthly weekend tours, due to spending limitations passed by the legislature. It said the cuts will affect its ability to fund volunteers, utilities, and other items.

The Presidential Office said tours on weekdays would continue as usual. The office said it must be frugal with its funds until its budgets are unfrozen, adding that it is not clear when this will be.

The opposition-led legislature passed a bill in January that will freeze 70% of the office’s business expenditures budget and parts of its other budgets. The spending bill will also cut the office’s budget for the 2025 fiscal year by 3.6% overall.

To unfreeze the funds, the Presidential Office can submit a request for review to the legislature. Opposition parties did not detail the terms of this review when passing the spending bills. 

The Presidential Office was built during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945) and was completed in 1919. The building was first opened to the public in 1995.