TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Opposition parties blocked the Executive Yuan's, Taiwan's cabinet, defense spending bill on Friday (Jan. 30), advancing their own version in a major legislative setback for President Lai Ching-te's administration. The Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan (立法院), Taiwan's parliament, to advance the TPP's draft. The opposition simultaneously blocked the cabinet's "Special Act for the Procurement Program to Strengthen Defense Resilience and Asymmetric Capabilities" (強化防衛韌性及不對稱戰力計畫採購特別條例).
The TPP's draft outlines six procurement items, including the HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system, with a total cap of NT$400 billion (around US$12.8 billion) to be allocated over one-year periods. Legislative Yuan President Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) announced the party consensus, stating the morning session would conclude with reporting items before moving to the 2026 Central Government General Budget Proposal (中央政府總預算). The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) proposed adding the Executive Yuan's draft to the reporting items, but lacked sufficient votes to overcome the opposition majority.
The Executive Yuan passed its draft on Thursday (Nov. 27) and submitted it for legislative review. The KMT and TPP first blocked the bill on Tuesday (Dec. 2), preventing it from being included on the session's agenda. The Legislative Yuan's Procedural Committee (程序委員會) blocked the cabinet's draft again on Monday (Jan. 27) due to opposition numerical superiority, barring its inclusion in Friday's session. ◼ (At time of reporting, US$1 equals approximately NT$31.35)