TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Legislators from the Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) proposed a motion on Friday (Jan. 16) urging the Legislative Yuan (立法院), Taiwan's legislature, to prioritize the review of 38 new projects in the 2026 central government budget, totaling approximately NT$71.8 billion. These projects aim to enhance national resilience and cover areas such as the TPASS commuter passes and drug supply preparedness.
KMT Legislator Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) emphasized the urgency of these initiatives, stating that the Executive Yuan (行政院), Taiwan's cabinet, should proactively seek legislative approval for these critical projects. He noted that for nearly three weeks, the KMT and TPP have coordinated closely with local governments on budget allocations. Lo stated that the Executive Yuan is welcome to propose new projects if it identifies additional needs.
Lo called on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) to sign a "non-objection agreement" to begin the review next week. He urged the party not to obstruct the budget, livelihood projects, or the TPASS initiative. He emphasized that the Executive Yuan has been negligent, and urged the DPP caucus not to be negligent as well.
Lo assured that the budget discussion process would respect the opinions of all party caucuses and committee members, allowing for input on budget items during negotiations. He stressed that, as long as the DPP does not delay or block the proposal, the additional project budget could be approved as quickly as possible.
