Taiwan's central government budget for 2026 has cleared the legislature, a win for opposition leaders who pushed it through despite a tense negotiation.

• Taichung Mayor Lu Shiu-yen welcomed the budget's passage, saying the talks were bumpy but the result was good.
• She joked she might treat Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu and KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi to a movie as thanks.
• The two clashed earlier when Fu skipped a key budget meeting, prompting Han to snap about being sidelined.
• Cuts to the budget were small, and Lu pushed the government to share funds fairly with central Taiwan's counties.
• A separate budget for military drones has not yet passed and will be reviewed later.

Outlook: Attention now turns to the stalled military drone funding and how evenly the central government spreads the approved money across local counties.