KMT legislator's 2 million NT dollar trip funding request denied

Kuomintang (KMT) legislator Weng Hsiao-ling's request for over 2 million New Taiwan dollars in funding for an overseas delegation trip has been denied by the party. The KMT stated that the party's budget for political funding from the Democratic Progressive Foundation has already been allocated to trips led by Chairperson Cheng Li-wen to China and the United States.

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I established the association on January 30th and proposed a plan to visit the parliaments of Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. However, due to factors such as the continuous postponement of the session, it did not materialize. It might be arranged for next year.

Weng had planned to lead a delegation of six legislators to Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic for exchange programs during the legislative recess. She initially requested over 2 million NT dollars from the party for this purpose. However, the KMT explained that due to the substantial allocations for Cheng's international visits, 3.02 million NT dollars for the China trip's reimbursement and a further 5.5 million NT dollars requested for the US trip, there were no remaining funds available for Weng's proposed travel.

Initially, Weng expressed dissatisfaction, reportedly demanding to see the expense receipts for the two outbound trips. She questioned why the party leadership had allegedly promised the funding but then cited a lack of available budget. Weng had also stated that she established the "Republic of China Global Parliamentary Empowerment and Development Association" on January 30th to plan the trip, which was postponed due to legislative session extensions and party scheduling conflicts, with potential rescheduling for next year.

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Besides the time constraints, and because the party itself had some plans, I respected it and didn't say I was unhappy.

Responding to the situation, Weng later clarified that she was not upset and did not demand to see the receipts. She explained that her initial request was for 2 million NT dollars, but she later revised it to 500,000 NT dollars after realizing the party's financial constraints. She stated that she withdrew the revised request, respecting the party's plans and acknowledging that legislative budgets for overseas travel had been reduced this year. She also noted that the Legislative Yuan had issued a notice that travel might not be possible under the association's name this year due to budget cuts.

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The 2 million was the initial request. Later, the amount I applied for was 500,000. We later understood that the party's budget was limited, so I withdrew it. I never mentioned needing 2 million anymore.