KMT defends budget cuts, Cabinet calls them irrational

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Cabinet are locked in a dispute over significant cuts to the central government budget. KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi defended the 1.689 percent reduction as a gesture of "great goodwill," highlighting that over 98 percent of the Cabinet's proposed budget was approved after negotiations.

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the cuts should be seen as a gesture of “great goodwill.”

However, the Cabinet spokeswoman, Michelle Lee, labeled the cuts as "irrational," warning they could severely impact government operations and Taiwan's progress on human rights. Specific reductions include NT$10 million from President William Lai's confidential state affairs fund, with an additional NT$20 million frozen until Lai promulgates certain legislative bills. Funding for the Cabinet's Department of Human Rights and Transitional Justice was eliminated, the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee's budget was halved, and significant cuts were made to policy promotion funds for central government agencies.

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such “irrational” cuts could seriously impact government operations, as well as hamper Taiwan’s progress on human rights.

Lee expressed concern that reduced funds for policy promotion could allow disinformation to spread, and a cut to the Department of Information Services' budget might affect contract workers. She also noted that the late-year cuts to the confidential state affairs fund render it unusable, hindering the president's ability to conduct public engagements and military inspections. Furthermore, basic resources for the Executive Yuan's disaster assessments were entirely cut, raising questions about the government's capacity to respond to public needs and maintain essential operations.

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Disasters will not