TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A stalemate over the 2025 central government budget persisted after a luncheon on Friday (Oct. 11) between legislative leaders from across party lines. The opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) and Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) expressed disappointment over what they perceived as a lack of sincerity from the Executive Yuan (行政院).
TPP caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) thanked Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) for arranging the meeting, acknowledging his role as a mediator. However, Huang expressed regret, noting, "I thought the Executive Yuan would propose a concrete solution, but after more than an hour, all we heard were repeated statements from the last session's bill passage, with no concrete plan so far."
KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) shared similar sentiments. He observed that despite Han's desire for smooth proceedings, the discussion lacked new proposals and reverted to previous session negotiations. Fu expressed regret over the absence of fresh solutions and stated that the KMT would conduct a comprehensive discussion in their caucus meeting and respect Han's sentiments, aiming for a clearer stance on the budget.
Neither Han nor Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) offered further comments to the media after the luncheon. The impasse suggests that future negotiations will require more concrete proposals to bridge the divide between the Executive Yuan and the legislative bodies.
