President 
Lai Ching-te promulgated this year's central government budget on Sept. 18, writing on the promulgation that the Legislative Yuan should not cut or freeze personnel costs. The legislature passed the budget on the evening of Aug. 14, the latest passage of a general budget in the history of the Republic of China, CNA reported.
What did Lai instruct? Presidential Office spokesperson Kuo Ya-hui said Lai wrote two points on the promulgation to protect civil servants' rights and to ensure that agencies act according to law. The first holds that the constitution protects the right to work in public service, and that personnel costs are statutory spending the legislature should not cut or freeze. The second says that funds agencies spent under Article 54 of the Budget Act before the budget was promulgated are lawful expenditure, and that the agencies' handling of them was proper. Kuo added that the Presidential Office secretary-general had sent Lai's instructions by letter to all five Yuan.
How long was the budget delayed? Kuo said the Executive Yuan sent the budget to the legislature for review in August 2025, but the legislature did not finish its review by the end of that year as the law requires. Passage was delayed until Aug. 14. After the Aug. 14 third reading the passed bill went unsent for a time, a delay that CNA reported had stirred discussion. On Sept. 17 the legislature forwarded it to the Executive Yuan and asked the president to promulgate it, and the Presidential Office then issued a decree promulgating the budget "in accordance with the general review report (revised version)" on the bill.
What did lawmakers change? The legislature's review cut a total of NT$48 billion from the budget, CNA reported. In passing it, lawmakers also froze the premier's salary for September through December and struck out pay for political appointees at the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee.
Figures referenced: Lai Ching-te. — JudgeMarket.
