Many versions of military procurement bill, Jaw Shaw-Kong advocates balancing all sides by first earmarking 810 billion

Amid differences over the national defense special budget, Jaw Shaw-Kong proposed a compromise: earmarking NT$810 billion, but initially approving only the NT$350 billion with official US documentation, freezing the rest.
政治NQ 0/100出典:PR Times

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  • 📰 Published: April 19, 2026 at 17:19
  • 🔍 Collected: April 19, 2026 at 17:31 (12 min after Published)
  • 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 17:37 (5 min after Collected)
Central News Agency

(CNA Reporter Liu Kuan-Ting, Taipei, 19th) The Legislative Yuan will convene another cross-party negotiation regarding the draft of the National Defense Special Ordinance this week. Former Broadcasting Corporation of China (BCC) Chairman Jaw Shaw-Kong stated today that his proposal to earmark NT$810 billion—initially reviewing the NT$350 billion that has already received Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) while temporarily freezing the remaining NT$460 billion—is the only version that balances all parties. It alleviates US concerns while upholding the Kuomintang's (KMT) stance.

Legislative Yuan President Han Kuo-Yu convened a cross-party negotiation on the draft on the 15th but failed to reach a consensus. Han has requested the Foreign and National Defense Committee to arrange a special report from the Ministry of National Defense on the 20th. He will then convene another negotiation and urged the party caucuses to communicate beforehand regarding procurement items and funding.

The KMT's Culture and Communications Committee issued a press release yesterday emphasizing that the party demands "transparency, official processes, and receipts." Military procurement items must have a complete project establishment process. They insist on government-to-government channels to prevent kickback scandals and require formal US LOAs before the Legislative Yuan can conduct a substantive review.

Jaw Shaw-Kong stated via a media group today that regarding the military procurement bill, the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) version is NT$1.25 trillion, the Taiwan People's Party's (TPP) is NT$400 billion, and the KMT's is "NT$380 billion + N." Due to concerns from bipartisan US Congress members and lobbying by American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene, there are now differing versions even within the pan-blue camp.

Jaw believes that subtracting the budget intended for domestic procurement from the NT$1.25 trillion leaves an earmark of NT$810 billion. By first passing the NT$350 billion that corresponds to the US$11.1 billion in LOAs already received from the US, and temporarily freezing the remaining NT$460 billion until new LOAs are received, the total procurement figure from the US is not reduced, yet legislators can fulfill their duty to rigorously review the budget.

Jaw stated that politics is an art, not about slashing and burning. Achieving a win-win situation means holding onto one's principles while skillfully making it difficult for the other side to cast blame. (Editor: Lin Ke-Lun) 1150419

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