At the Cabinet's weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Cho Jung-tai was briefed by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics on the outcome of the Legislative Yuan's review of the central government's 2026 general budget proposal. The premier said that the Legislature slashed NT$48 billion (approximately US$1.5 billion) from the proposed budget, including significant and unreasonable cuts to specific programs and government units, which have seriously affected their basic operations.
Premier Cho noted that with NT$34.8 billion (approx. US$1.1 billion) in the 2026 general budget frozen and only four months remaining in the year, failure by the Legislative Yuan to schedule the required special reports in time would effectively amount to budget cuts, which could seriously disrupt the normal operations of various government units.
The premier emphasized that there are limits to the principle of checks and balances. The exercise of one branch's powers must not infringe upon the core powers of other constitutional bodies, nor substantially impede the exercise of those powers in a manner that undermines the principle of accountable government. The Legislative Yuan, in exercising its authority to oversee the government and review the budget, must not allow political disagreements to compromise the rights and interests of the people or the normal functioning of the state.