Taiwan's presidential office is fighting back after lawmakers slashed its discretionary spending fund, using a Mid-Autumn Festival charity event to make its case.

• The legislature cut NT$10 million from the president's discretionary fund and froze another NT$20 million.
• Unfreezing the money is tied to the president publishing five stalled, disputed bills — a condition the office calls an overreach of budget power into constitutional duties.
• Secretary-General Pan Meng-an will host an event promoting mooncakes and gift boxes made by workers with disabilities, urging agencies, companies, and the public to buy.
• The office says buying from sheltered workshops is a legal requirement under disability rights law, not a favor bought with public money.
• The fund has existed since 1949 and has stayed at NT$30 million a year for over a decade under governments of both parties.

Outlook: The standoff between the presidential office and the legislature over budget conditions looks set to continue past the festival.