Lai Ching-te says drone budget would displace social welfare; KMT criticizes 'off-topic' argument

President Lai Ching-te asserted that proposals from opposition parties to integrate drone procurement into the regular annual budget could negatively impact crucial public expenditures, such as education and social welfare. Speaking at a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Central Standing Committee meeting, Lai highlighted concerns that such a move might lead to budget shortfalls in other vital areas.

However, Kuomintang (KMT) Culture and Communications Committee Chairman Chen I-hsin vehemently refuted Lai's claims. Chen pointed out that the Executive Yuan's proposed defense budget for the upcoming year is a substantial 691.9 billion NT dollars, an increase of 130.5 billion NT dollars from the previous year. He contrasted this with the proposed five-year drone plan of 210 billion NT dollars (or six years at 240 billion NT dollars), averaging about 40 billion NT dollars annually.

“

The Executive Yuan's proposed defense budget for the upcoming year is as high as 691.9 billion NT dollars, an increase of 130.5 billion NT dollars compared to this year; and the Executive Yuan's version of the drone regulation is 210 billion NT dollars for five years, while the KMT's version is 240 billion NT dollars for six years, averaging about 40 billion NT dollars per year. The defense budget next year will increase by 130.5 billion NT dollars, why can't it accommodate 40 billion NT dollars for drones? What social welfare spending will be crowded out? Why is President Lai's statement off-topic?

Chen questioned the president's logic, asking how the defense budget could accommodate an additional 130.5 billion NT dollars but not the 40 billion NT dollars for drones. He further highlighted that the Executive Yuan recently announced ample government finances, sufficient for a 235.7 billion NT dollar cash handout to the public. Chen posed a rhetorical question: if a 235.7 billion NT dollar cash distribution doesn't displace social welfare, why would a 40 billion NT dollar drone budget? He accused the president of either having flawed fiscal logic or deliberately misleading the public.

Chen emphasized that the annual defense budget is projected to reach 1.1225 trillion NT dollars, making the 40 billion NT dollar drone expenditure a mere 3.6% of the total. While the KMT supports strengthening national defense and developing Taiwan's drone industry, they advocate for normal budget procedures with parliamentary oversight, rather than special budgets that could worsen fiscal discipline. Chen cited The Economist's recent description of President Lai as 'stubborn' and urged him to communicate more openly with the opposition and the public, rather than using the threat of displacing social welfare to frighten citizens.

“

President Lai is stubborn and does not communicate with the opposition party. Please, President Lai, do not be stubborn and do not use 'displacing social welfare' to scare the public. You should clearly explain to the public and Congress: next year's defense budget will increase by 130.5 billion NT dollars, why can't it accommodate 40 billion NT dollars for drones? What is the real reason the Lai administration insists on treating 'drones as an ATM' and 'swiping cards for cash'?