Lawmakers yesterday passed the second reading of a motion that would authorize the disbursement of NT$71.8 billion (US$2.27 billion) for 38 projects under the central government budget.
The motion passed 54 to 29.
Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) said that the legislature had approved early release of funds for the designated new capital expenditure and projects in this year’s central government budget, citing their “urgency and significant impact on public livelihood.”
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The projects include subsidies to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, funding for the T-Pass program, and flood control and water management initiatives.
The motion, proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), was fast-tracked to the second reading and cross-party negotiations on Jan. 16, bypassing committee review.
The opposition parties convened cross-party negotiations on Jan. 22, but failed to reach a consensus with the executive branch and ruling party lawmakers.
Lawmakers this morning reached a consensus to vote on the bill after a month-long cooling-off period.
Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said there is no precedent for splitting the general budget.
The central government budget and the special defense budget are designed as integrated administrative plans and should not be fragmented, Lee said, urging political parties to unite and engage in rational deliberations.
It is regrettable that the central government budget — which is essential for national construction and public services — has still not been referred to legislative committees for review, she said.
The budget bill should undergo three readings, according to Article 7 of the Act Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Power (立法院職權行使法), she said, calling the passage of the second reading of the motion unprecedented.
Citing the urgency of the new projects, she urged legislative caucuses across party lines to begin substantive review of the general budget as soon as possible and complete the required legal procedures.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
Taiwan is awaiting official notification from the US regarding the status of the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) after the US Supreme Court ruled US President Donald Trump's global tariffs unconstitutional. Speaking to reporters before a legislative hearing today, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that Taiwan's negotiation team remains focused on ensuring that the bilateral trade deal remains intact despite the legal challenge to Trump's tariff policy. "The US has pledged to notify its trade partners once the subsequent administrative and legal processes are finalized, and that certainly includes Taiwan," Cho said when asked about opposition parties’ doubts that the ART was
If China chose to invade Taiwan tomorrow, it would only have to sever three undersea fiber-optic cable clusters to cause a data blackout, Jason Hsu (許毓仁), a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator, told a US security panel yesterday. In a Taiwan contingency, cable disruption would be one of the earliest preinvasion actions and the signal that escalation had begun, he said, adding that Taiwan’s current cable repair capabilities are insufficient. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) yesterday held a hearing on US-China Competition Under the Sea, with Hsu speaking on
RSS