TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The KMT on Tuesday questioned Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on his reluctance to use an authorized NT$71.8 billion (US$2.25 billion) budget, saying the Cabinet had already approved its use.
A policy insider recently told the Liberty Times that the government had authorized the funds, with related programs — including flood prevention and the Tpass transit subsidy — set to begin as early as March. The source said failing to deploy the funds ahead of the 2026 elections could hurt the ruling DPP.
DPP lawmakers defended the move as a last resort. Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said the government was acting to maintain operations amid delays to the 2026 budget in the legislature, per UDN. DPP Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) added that public pressure had also pushed the opposition to roll out temporary authorization.
Cho, however, raised concerns about the legality of using the funds, warning against setting a precedent for relying on temporarily authorized budgets, per Liberty Times. He said the allocations could be subject to change during the review of the budget and urged the opposition to pass the full-year budget to allow government plans to proceed.
In response, KMT Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) rejected Cho’s interpretation, noting that Minister Chen Shu-tzu (陳淑姿) of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics had already cleared agencies to use the funds, per UP Media. Lin questioned whether the discrepancy reflected internal miscommunication or a political decision by the premier.
The KMT caucus said that once a budget is approved, the executive branch is responsible for carrying it out.
National Audit Office Auditor-General Chen Jui-min (陳瑞敏) previously warned KMT lawmakers that using the authorized budget could pose legal risks if related provisions are later revised in the 2026 budget, per CNA. KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) dismissed the concern, saying there would be no need to revisit a budget once it has been passed.
