A public clash between Taiwan's legislature and its Cabinet has escalated, a bad sign for anyone hoping the island's political deadlock is easing.

• Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu accused the Cabinet of repeatedly refusing to countersign bills passed by lawmakers, asking who gave it that power and saying no governing authority outranks the constitution.
• Premier Cho Jung-tai hit back late the same night, telling Han he has read plenty of old books but not the constitution or the budget law well enough.
• Cho argued the constitution splits the job clearly: the Cabinet writes the budget, the legislature reviews it, and lawmakers cannot propose spending increases or block other branches from doing their work.
• He said the premier's power to withhold a countersignature comes from the constitution itself, and is a duty when a law breaks the constitutional order, wrecks fiscal discipline, or threatens national security.
• The fight comes right after this year's national budget finally cleared its third reading, 351 days late.

Outlook: Expect more vetoed and unsigned bills as the opposition-controlled legislature and the Cabinet keep testing each other's constitutional limits.