After more than 20 hours of continuous voting across two days, the Legislature passed the third reading of the 2025 central government budget on Tuesday. The ongoing debate over Taiwan’s national budget for this fiscal year has intensified.

Originally set at approximately NT$3.13 trillion (US$9.56 billion), the final budget saw reductions of around NT$207.5 billion (US$6.33 billion), marking the largest cut in Taiwan’s history. The adjusted budget now totals around NT$2.92 trillion (US$89 billion). The budget has faced significant cuts and freezes, particularly affecting government agencies, sparking strong reactions from both the ruling party and the opposition.

Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) condemned the cuts, arguing that they amounted to 6.7% of the total budget, rather than the 3% claimed by the opposition. He highlighted that these cuts would severely disrupt government operations, especially in critical areas such as emergency response and disaster preparedness. Cho called on opposition lawmakers to reconsider their actions and focus on the country’s well-being rather than using budget cuts as revenge tactics.

Opposition KMT Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) defended the freezes, clarifying that they were not permanent cuts but a common tool used to ensure fiscal accountability. She assured the public that government operations would not be hampered, as contingency funds could be accessed in case of emergencies.