Taipei: Opposition motions demanding that President Lai Ching-te provide a briefing to the Legislature on his NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget proposal have been advanced directly to a second reading and cross-party negotiations.

According to Focus Taiwan, this decision follows a double rejection by Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmakers of the Cabinet's 2026-2033 spending plans for significant U.S.-linked weapons acquisitions and joint development initiatives. The KMT, in its motion, referenced Lai's comments on the potential readiness of the Chinese military by 2027, suggesting that the eight-year plan could ultimately cost NT$4.5 trillion with sustainment, potentially impacting social and economic expenditures.

The KMT, while endorsing the need for enhanced national defense, criticized the Cabinet's plan for its perceived lack of transparency, inclusion of unproven weapons systems, and risk of wasteful spending. They noted that the Constitution and the Act on Exercising Legislative Yuan Powers permit lawmakers to request the president to brief the chamber and answer questions.

The TPP's motion highlighted that Lai has already allocated NT$949.5 billion for defense in the 2026 fiscal year and committed to increasing defense spending to 5 percent of GDP, describing this as an unprecedented and significant shift in fiscal policy. They urged Lai to fulfill his campaign promise to brief lawmakers on national security, cross-strait developments, U.S. arms purchases, and defense budget planning prior to any special budget review.

During the floor debate, KMT lawmaker Hsu Chiao-hsin emphasized that the president must respond to lawmakers' questions, arguing that a one-way address would be ineffective. In contrast, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Puma Shen criticized the opposition motions as politically motivated and cited the Constitutional Court's ruling that on-the-spot questioning of the president is unconstitutional.

Shen suggested that if the opposition is genuinely worried about waste or budgetary stress, it should permit the special act to proceed to committee review for detailed examination. With party caucuses reaching an agreement before Friday's session, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu decided that both motions would bypass a vote and proceed directly to a second reading and cross-party negotiations.