Ke Chih-en and Chiang Chi-chen Disagree with Weng Hsiao-ling's Move to Cut and Freeze 'State Affairs Budget'? Green Legislator Recounts Scene: They Cleverly Disappeared Before the Vote

The Legislative Yuan recently passed in its third reading a proposal by KMT legislator Weng Hsiao-ling to fully cut and freeze the Presidential Office's state affairs budget of NT$30 million, including a reduction of NT$10 million and a freeze of NT$20 million, affecting funds used by the Presidential Office to purchase gift boxes from disadvantaged and social welfare groups. However, online discussions have recently emerged questioning whether KMT Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Ke Chih-en and Taichung mayoral candidate Chiang Chi-chen stood with Weng in supporting this budget cut. In response, DPP legislator Chen Pei-yu on the 23rd recounted the scene, stating that Ke and Chiang cleverly disappeared just before the vote on the Presidential Office's budget proposal—the very bill proposed by Weng that controversially cuts funding supporting social welfare groups.

Chen Pei-yu stated that recent online claims suggesting Ke Chih-en and Chiang Chi-chen did not support Weng Hsiao-ling in cutting the budget used by the Presidential Office to purchase Mid-Autumn gift boxes for social welfare groups are “wrong, wrong, wrong, completely wrong—please don’t be deceived.” Ke and Chiang, she said, were afraid to remain in the chamber and deliberately vanished just before the vote on the Presidential Office budget at 5:13 p.m., immediately after the Transportation Committee’s final vote.

Chen criticized that Ke and Chiang dared not appear or express their stance, as they only wish to return to their local constituencies to deceive voters and win votes. From the cutting and freezing of the overall budget to repeated controversial legislative amendments and procedural battles, the consequences affect not only the Legislative Yuan’s operations and the Executive Yuan’s governance but also the Presidential Office’s challenges in national defense and foreign affairs. Yet for ordinary citizens, behind every budget for education, culture, defense, social welfare, and local development, there are people living and working, waiting for the government to fulfill its duties.

Chen noted that as eight KMT legislators—Ke Chih-en, Chiang Chi-chen, Hsu Hsin-ying, Chang Chia-chun, Su Ching-chuan, Wu Tsung-hsien, Hsieh Lung-chieh, and Chen Yu-chen—run for county and city mayoral positions, voters should not only listen to their current campaign promises but also review what they have done and how they voted in the Legislative Yuan over the past two years. She emphasized that this is a basic democratic check: candidates can return to their localities to talk about development, care, and rational governance, and claim they will be good mayors, but they cannot completely disown their legislative records during election season.

Chen also questioned these KMT candidates: “When Weng Hsiao-ling said we need ‘113 Weng Hsiao-lings,’ do you agree? If you don’t agree, why did you stand with her in so many key votes in the past? If you do agree, then honestly tell your local voters—will this be the political approach you wish to bring to local governance?”

Finally, Chen stressed that while many people once felt the Legislative Yuan was distant, more are now realizing that a single vote in Congress can directly impact their lives. Children’s education, elder care, local infrastructure, and national security may all be affected. On November 28, people will of course be electing their mayors and magistrates, but they also have the right to examine candidates’ past political choices. Campaigns can change slogans and banners, but every vote a politician casts remains on the record.

More exclusive reports from Storm Media: · Where has the annual budget for disadvantaged groups gone? Presidential Office uses state affairs funds to buy mooncakes—Hsieh Han-ping argues this proves the opposition’s cuts are justified · Can the state affairs budget for buying 15,000 mooncake gift boxes for disadvantaged groups really not be cut or frozen? Li Lai-hsi raises doubts, criticizing: “This clearly shows incompetence in governance” · With the state affairs budget cut and frozen, will there be no money to buy mooncake gift boxes from sheltered workshops? Huang Kuo-chang criticizes Lai Ching-te: “You earn NT$460,000—just pay for them yourself”