TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) warned that delays in approving the central government budget could block disaster-response funding and put public safety at risk.

The city government said Sunday the delay could freeze about NT$17 billion (US$540 million) in central contingency and disaster-preparedness funds relied on by local governments for emergency response. “Natural disasters do not wait for legislative reviews, and delayed funding would increase risks for both residents and frontline responders,” Huang said.

Tainan’s Disaster Prevention Office said the city has allocated more than NT$10.5 billion in disaster-preparedness funds since 2019, but recent disasters have increasingly exceeded local capacity, per Liberty Times. Larger and more frequent disasters have made it difficult for local finances to cope without timely central government support, it said.

The office said the city budgeted about NT$2.5 billion for disaster response last year but spent more than NT$4 billion after a series of earthquakes, typhoons and heavy rain events. Additional central funding of more than NT$5.8 billion was later approved for recovery, bringing total disaster-related spending close to NT$10 billion, per UDN.

Huang said the past year’s disaster costs nearly matched the city’s total disaster-preparedness budget for the previous eight years combined. Without timely and lawful central assistance, he said, local governments would struggle to help residents return to normal life after major disasters, per FTV News.

He urged the Legislature to complete its budget review as soon as possible and to put public safety first. He warned prolonged delays could weaken Taiwan’s disaster resilience by slowing emergency response.

Under Taiwan’s system, the central government budget is drafted annually by the Cabinet and submitted to the Legislature for review. Lawmakers must first send the proposal to committee before detailed examination and final votes, after which funds can be used for routine operations, disaster response, and special reserves.

The budget has not yet been sent to committee due to repeated procedural blockages in the legislature, leaving it without formal review. Citizen Congress Watch Executive Director Chang Hung-lin (張宏林) warned the delay could extend to midyear, freezing large amounts of funding and disrupting government operations nationwide, per Business Today.