To address the impact of high tariffs, the Executive Yuan plans to spend NT$410 billion, but only NT$93 billion is allocated for the actual issue. The Taiwan People’s Party has proposed an alternative bill that removes redundant spending already covered in the regular budget, such as higher education funding, and rejects the NT$100 billion bailout for Taipower’s deficit.

Instead, our proposal increases funding for practical support, helping businesses explore new markets, stabilizing employment, strengthening agricultural finance, boosting competitiveness, and reinforcing labor and health insurance. We also call for NT$6,000 in universal cash payments, greater debt repayment, subsidies for living costs, and larger contributions to social insurance.

In addition, the Executive Yuan has allocated NT$410 billion under the pretext of addressing “tariff” impacts, yet included a budget item for strengthening defense capabilities and upgrading the information and communications facilities. However, the Minister of National Defense was notably absent from the Executive Yuan’s press conference, and the materials provided lacked a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) assessment report. Furthermore, no detailed explanation was offered by the relevant responsible agencies, this is not the attitude a responsible government should demonstrate.

The Taiwan People’s Party would like to reiterate that we have consistently supported enhancing national defense, provided it is done under appropriate oversight. However, since this special act was introduced in response to the issue of tariffs, its focus should remain on addressing that specific challenge. If there is, in fact, an urgent need for defense procurement due to the evolving escalation, it should be addressed directly by the Ministry of National Defense through a dedicated special act and formal assessment report instead of smuggling in under the guise of a tariff response package.

We make this clarification in the hope that the international community will understand the Taiwan People’s Party’s position as an opposition party: our immediate priority in responding to the tariff issue is to ensure proper budget oversight, support transparent execution, and help our industries weather this challenging period.