Taiwan's Legislative Yuan has passed the central government's 2026 budget,
after a record 266-day delay.

The opposition-controlled legislature voted to reduce the originally proposed
budget from just over 3 trillion NT to just under 3 trillion -- slicing 48
billion NT or 1.6 percent off the original.

One of the most closely watched items was 63.4 billion NT in drone-related
spending. The opposition had considered cutting the entire amount from the
budget but ended up keeping it intact.

Most recently, the KMT had proposed cutting the drone budget by around 70
percent.

The KMT caucus said it decided against the cuts after determining there was
no overlap between the drone development and procurement programs that would
result in wasteful spending, which it had previously cited as the basis for
the proposed reduction.

Lawmakers cut special allowances for heads of government agencies by 60
percent.

Spending on military equipment and facilities was reduced by 2.5 percent,
while media policy and publicity budgets were cut by 50 percent, except for
expenditures required by law.

According to the Taipei Times, DPP spokesman Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城) accused the
KMT and the TPP of staging a political farce by proposing cuts and then
hastily withdrawing them -- saying they were misleading the public.

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