TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) on Tuesday initiated negotiations among party caucuses regarding the controversial 2025 budget.
The 2025 budget, which has already passed its third reading in the Legislative Yuan, includes the largest budget cuts in Taiwan’s history, totaling NT$207.5 billion (US$6.34 billion). Given that the third reading has been completed, it remains unclear how negotiations at this stage could impact the budget.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Caucus Secretary-General Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) expressed optimism, saying both the legislature and the administration were engaging in discussions with goodwill, per CNA. She urged all parties to propose meaningful solutions to prevent the public from suffering the consequences of the cuts.
Cabinet Spokesperson Li Hui-chih (李慧芝) stated on Friday that Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and Han had been in close contact to address the constraints imposed by the budget, per UDN. Li also outlined 12 reasons why the Cabinet considers the budget excessively restrictive.
DPP Caucus Leader Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) on Monday raised legal concerns, asserting that the budget violates the law regardless of whether the Legislative Yuan forwards it to the Cabinet. He called for a legally sound resolution, per CNA.
Meanwhile, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Acting Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) expressed confusion on Friday, questioning the legal basis for the negotiations, per Liberty Times. The TPP caucus later sent a letter to Han seeking clarification.
On Sunday, Huang emphasized that while Han’s intentions may be well-meaning, the Legislative Yuan must adhere to legal frameworks, per CNA. He also questioned Premier Cho’s rejection of Han’s proposal to address funding shortages through a supplementary budget.
Cho responded on Thursday, arguing that a supplementary budget would be unsuccessful unless differences between the ruling and opposition parties were resolved. Huang countered that the success of any budget depends on its merits rather than political considerations.
KMT Caucus Secretary-General Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) acknowledged Han’s efforts to broker a compromise but agreed with Huang’s stance, per CNA. She pointed out that since the third reading had already concluded, no legal avenue remains for further caucus action on the budget.
To facilitate discussions, Premier Cho enlisted former Legislative Speaker and Kuomintang (KMT) member Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to assist with negotiations, per CNA.
