TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Cabinet Spokesperson Lee Hui-chih (李慧芝) on Friday responded to KMT Legislator Wang Hung-wei’s (王鴻薇) accusation that Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) had orchestrated attack videos targeting the opposition before the 2025 budget audit.
Wang had claimed the premier had instructed his ministers to avoid communicating with the opposition and instead focus on using videos, press conferences, and social media to attack opposition parties, per CTWANT.
She further asserted that during a meeting on Thursday, Cho singled out departments that had failed to produce such content, urging them to direct all criticism of budgetary shortfalls at the doors of the KMT and TPP.
In response, Lee rejected Wang’s characterization of the Thursday meeting, clarifying that the ministers were simply reporting the challenges they faced due to the budget cuts, per CNA. Lee added that mayors from the six special municipalities were present at the event.
Regarding Wang’s other claim, Lee expressed confusion, explaining that the videos and memes produced by ministers were intended to illustrate the impact of the budget cuts on citizens, not to attack opposition lawmakers.
Wang, however, doubled down on her accusations, naming the environment, defense, and culture ministries as being departments Cho had singled out, per China Times. She also claimed that Culture Minister Li Yuan (李遠) became emotional during the meeting.
In addition to these allegations, Wang accused the Cabinet of spreading false information, specifically concerning the Finance Ministry’s claims about cuts to the receipt lottery fund, per UDN. She asserted that since the lottery fund is categorized as mandatory spending, legislators do not have the authority to make alterations, per CNA.
The Taiwan FactCheck Center found that while the receipt lottery budget is categorized as mandatory spending, it has always been subject to reductions during audits. The fact-checkers noted that while the budget for 2025 was reduced, it remains larger than the 2024 budget, which could lead to a higher chance of winning a prize.
On Thursday, Premier Cho also announced plans to freeze 50% of the central government subsidies to local governments, per CNA. This announcement sparked concerns from local governments, including KMT-ruled Taichung City and DPP-ruled Kaohsiung City, over potential budget shortfalls.