Taiwan’s legislature approved the 2026 government budget on August 14, ending a record 266-day delay, the longest in its history [1, 2, 3]. The original budget proposal submitted on August 31, 2025, was NT$3.034 trillion (about $94.79 billion), but the opposition-led parliament cut approximately NT$48 billion (around $1.4 billion) before approval, setting the final budget at about NT$2.987 trillion (roughly $93 billion) [1, 3].
The opposition, controlled by the Kuomintang (KMT), initially threatened to slash drone development funding by 70%. However, after concluding there was no wasteful overlap, they preserved the drone budget at approximately NT$63.4 billion (about $2 billion) [2, 3]. Other significant reductions included a 60% cut in special allowances for government agency heads, a 2.5% cut in military equipment and facilities spending, and a 50% cut to media policy and publicity budgets [2, 3].
During the delay, the government operated on provisional budget rules that maintained civil servant salaries and welfare programs without disruption [1, 2, 3]. Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu said the prolonged delay caused "social division and a constitutional impasse" and stressed the need for compromise between ruling and opposition parties [2, 3]. KMT caucus leader Fu Kun-chi added, "I have devoted myself wholeheartedly to this effort, hoping that the nation can move forward and the people can lead better lives" [1]. President Lai Ching-te highlighted, "Parliamentary oversight and review of the budget are an important constitutional duty" [2].
The statutory deadline to approve the 2026 budget was November 30, 2025, but the legislature missed it by nearly nine months [3]. The government plans to announce the 2027 budget spending plan by August 20, 2026, which will then be submitted to parliament for review [1].
