00:00New year, new priorities.
00:02That may be the case for most people,
00:04but Taiwan's political scene has prior business it needs to get squared away.
00:08Most notably, the government has yet to pass its 2026 general budget.
00:13Taiwan's cabinet has put forward a proposal,
00:15but the opposition-held legislature is blocking it.
00:18The opposition wants it to be resubmitted,
00:20and this time to include items like additional funding for military pay raises.
00:25The ruling Democratic Progressive Party says the budget is its biggest priority,
00:30and that the opposition is trying to get leverage.
00:45One DPP lawmaker says they camped out at the legislature all Thursday night
00:49just so they could get a chance to move several proposals,
00:52including the budget, to the legislative floor first thing the next morning.
00:56On Friday, the main opposition Kuomintang re-elected legislator Fu Kunqi as caucus whip.
01:02He says his party will continue to work with the smaller Taiwan People's Party
01:06to pass legislation expanding the country's social benefits.
01:10The DPP is also outlining its plans for 2026.
01:14In a rare public appearance, party founder Ke Wenzhe,
01:17who had been detained for most of 2025,
01:19vowed to garner support for amendments to expand surrogacy rights in Taiwan.
01:24It's something he says should transcend party lines.
01:442025 was a tumultuous year for politics in Taiwan.
01:48With both sides of the aisle holding fest to their values,
01:51people can only watch and see if compromises can or will be made.
01:56Ryan Wu and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.
