Opposition lawmakers cut the presidential office's discretionary budget, and the fallout landed on disabled workers who make mooncakes — bad news for Taiwan's sheltered workshops just before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

• The KMT and TPP jointly froze and cut the entire NT$30 million presidential discretionary fund.
• 37 sheltered workshops across Taiwan lost 15,000 holiday gift-box orders overnight.
• Three Taichung centers — Shih Fang, Li Da and Maria — had orders cancelled at the last minute, on top of already rising material costs.
• KMT lawmaker Yen Kuan-heng says charity should run on a proper, transparent budget line, not ad-hoc buying by the presidential office.
• Legislative vice speaker and Taichung mayoral candidate Chiang Chi-chen has stayed silent, since a deputy on his campaign team voted for the cuts.

Outlook: Expect the workshops to lean on corporate and public goodwill to fill the gap, while the cuts become a live issue in the Taichung mayoral race.