TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After months of debate and delays, the Cabinet’s special defense budget was referred to committee at the Legislative Yuan on Friday.

Lawmakers initially agreed on Feb. 24 to advance the special budget to the committee after President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) agreed to give a state of the nation address at the Legislative Yuan. However, the Cabinet’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) budget proposal will be referred alongside two rival budget bills submitted by the opposition parties, reported CNA. 

The defense budgets have been submitted to the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee and the Finance Committee for joint review. The Cabinet’s bill calls for a period of eight years to outfit Taiwan with the capacity and weapons to wage asymmetric warfare in the event of an invasion or attack.

The KMT caucus reportedly held a plenary session on Thursday where it approved its own defense budget with a cap of NT$380 billion (US$12 billion), plus provisions for additional arms purchases upon legislative approval. The KMT version prioritizes eight pending arms packages from the US, but calls for the defense ministry to report regularly and provide status updates to the legislature.

The TPP caucus also drafted its own version of the defense spending bill with a limit of NT$400 billion. It reportedly prioritizes six key areas also highlighted in the Cabinet’s version, but would allocate only a portion of the funds over the course of eight years, per UDN. 

The KMT and TPP both call for stricter oversight on an annual basis to maintain fiscal responsibility, while the Cabinet stresses the need for Taiwan to show a greater commitment to its own security.