Accused of misusing 500 million frozen budget; officials confirm personnel spending is legal.

Recent budget tussles between the Legislative Yuan and the Executive Yuan have again become a political focus. In response to external doubts that the Executive Yuan has unilaterally used funds that the Legislative Yuan had frozen, amounting to New Taiwan Dollars (NT$) 5 billion, the Executive Yuan issued an official response today. The Executive Yuan emphasized that government departments have always respected the Legislative Yuan’s budget review decisions, and that all disbursement and allocation of budget funds fully comply with current budgetary laws and statutory procedures. The controversy highlights differing interpretations between the legislative and executive branches on budget review and implementation, and reignites deep discussion across society about national fiscal discipline and the operation mechanism of the budget‑freeze system.

According to a report by the Central News Agency, the core of the dispute is a central government budget line that the Legislative Yuan proposed to freeze, totaling NT$ 5 billion. In response to external doubts and criticism, the Executive Yuan further explained the background of this funding. The Executive Yuan pointed out that the NT$ 5 billion that was frozen by the Legislative Yuan was not earmarked for any specific sub‑item in the budget. Given this characteristic of the budget allocation, the Executive Yuan, when actually implementing and distributing the funds, chose to allocate the frozen amount directly to basic personnel‑expense items.

The Executive Yuan further explained the legal basis and necessity of personnel‑expense operations. Government agencies’ personnel expenditures cover civil servants’ salaries, benefits, and various statutory obligations, all of which are indispensable for the daily operation of the state apparatus. Therefore, personnel costs must be spent in accordance with law and cannot be arbitrarily halted or diverted. The Executive Yuan stressed that allocating the unfixed, frozen amount to personnel expenses is not the alleged unauthorized diversion or evasion of oversight, but rather follows existing fiscal and personnel regulations to ensure that necessary personnel expenditures can be processed smoothly and that government departments continue to function normally.

Within Taiwan’s constitutional system and budgetary framework, the Legislative Yuan holds the power to review the central government’s overall budget, while the Executive Yuan is responsible for its execution. During budget review, legislators often submit budget‑freeze proposals to express dissatisfaction with particular policies or ministries, demanding that administrative agencies submit special reports or make improvements before any disbursement can occur. However, once a budget line is frozen, agencies facing large and essential national expenditures must balance statutory procedures with administrative efficiency. The Executive Yuan’s practice of using a frozen, unspecified budget line for personnel costs, while it maintains that the action fully complies with the law, again highlights the tension between the Legislative Yuan’s budget‑freeze tools and the Executive Yuan’s practical implementation needs.

The development of this budget dispute is not merely a quarrel between a single administrative department and elected representatives; it also reflects the real‑world test of Taiwan’s budget system when confronted with political contestation. As partisan interaction in the Legislative Yuan becomes increasingly intense, future instances of budget freezing and thawing are likely to undergo stricter scrutiny. The Executive Yuan’s public clarification aims to dispel concerns about the government misusing public funds and reiterates its commitment to lawful administration. Nevertheless, restoring and strengthening the trust foundation between the executive and legislative branches, and finding consensus between budget oversight and governance efficiency, will remain crucial challenges for Taiwan’s political arena moving forward.

(Source: Central News Agency)