TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) criticized the legislature Tuesday for failing to forward the 2026 budget to the Cabinet after it completed its third reading in August.
Cho said that while the Cabinet is still waiting for the legislature, important work remains to be done, per NOWNews. Cabinet Spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) added that the delayed implementation of the 2026 budget could have a knock-on effect on a supplementary budget proposal submitted to the legislature Sept. 3, per Liberty Times.
Lee said the supplementary budget includes increases in welfare benefits and bonuses for civil servants, teachers, and military personnel, benefiting roughly 3.9 million people. Lee explained that a delay in forwarding the 2026 budget could affect benefits for millions of people, as well as the NT$145.7 billion (US$4.58 billion) allocated to strengthen Taiwan’s defense capabilities.
KMT Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) rejected the characterization of the situation as a delay, noting that the deadline for forwarding the budget was set for Sept. 29 during a previous caucus negotiation, per UP Media. She said the DPP understood and agreed to the deadline to allow sufficient time for officials to organize and proofread the documents before forwarding them to the Cabinet.
However, DPP Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) argued that the legislature has taken too long to complete the administrative work, per CNA. He said it was reasonable for the public to question the legislature’s efficiency after a month had passed without the budget being forwarded.
Chuang reiterated his criticism Wednesday, saying the outcome of caucus negotiations should not prevent Cho from commenting on the issue, per Newtalk. He said roughly NT$224 billion in spending could not proceed because the 2026 budget had not yet taken effect.
The legislature responded that it would hand over the 2026 budget, which consists of seven volumes, to the Cabinet before the end of the week, per CNA. It reiterated that Legislative Yuan Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) announced during caucus negotiations on Aug. 26 that the deadline would be set for Sept. 29 to allow sufficient time for personnel to organize the large number of bills passed in August.
