The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is to put forward its own arms procurement budget to be reviewed together with the Executive Yuan’s version, KMT Culture and Communication Committee deputy director Yin Nai-ching (尹乃菁) said today.
The KMT has no intention of blocking the arms procurement budget, but the final version would not be the Executive Yuan’s proposal, Yin said.
Specific procurement items should be put forward to review, but the administration of President William Lai (賴清德) cannot just submit two pages and ask the Legislative Yuan to approve a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.75 billion) special budget, she said.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
Some items could be included in the normal annual budget and do not have to be handled through a special budget, she added.
Responding to US calls to support the government’s proposed budget, Yin questioned whether US lawmakers would accept budget bills passed by the US Congress being ignored by the White House.
Separately, the KMT released a national poll today showing that 45 percent of respondents oppose the Executive Yuan’s special defense budget while 44 percent support it.
“Supporting raising the national defense budget does not necessarily mean supporting the Executive Yuan’s budget,” KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) said, adding that 61 percent supported increasing the national defense budget in general.
The KMT caucus, Central Committee and local government leaders all support increasing the defense budget, but the dispute is over the most appropriate way to do so, including the amount and procurement timelines, Hsu said.
In addition, 51 percent of respondents said they were concerned that the defense budget would impact social welfare, education and infrastructure, while 41 percent said they were not concerned, which is why the KMT cares so much about cross-strait peace, she said.
Raising national defense spending to more than 5 percent of GDP would inevitably impact social welfare and infrastructure, Hsu said.
The KMT supports increasing the defense budget, but is considering whether it is necessary to pass a NT$1.25 trillion special budget, she said.
Lastly, 56 percent of respondents said they were concerned about delays in the procurement of US arms, Hsu added.
The KMT is proposing its own version to break down the chaos within the procurement process and make it more straightforward, simpler and easier for lawmakers and people to oversee, she said.
Previous delays in the delivery of US arms are unacceptable and the greatest source of public concern regarding US arms purchases, she said.
The KMT would fulfill its duty to make sure arms are delivered on time and take this public opinion poll as an important reference for its version of the budget, Hsu said.
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