Days of torrential rain have brought disaster to southern Taiwan, and Premier Cho Jung-tai's remark that budget cuts left him able only to make phone calls to learn about conditions in the affected areas has drawn sharp criticism from opposition lawmakers — bad news for both disaster victims and the Executive Yuan's image.

• KMT legislator Weng Hsiao-ling said what she cut was the premier's discretionary fund, not travel expenses for disaster inspection.
• The Executive Yuan's basic funding for utilities, transport fares, fuel and the like was not cut, and the premier can travel south by official car or high-speed rail.
• She criticised Cho Jung-tai for having been able to charter a flight to Japan to watch baseball in the past, yet now saying he cannot afford a high-speed rail ticket.
• Kaohsiung and Tainan have received more flood-control funding than Taipei, yet after twenty or thirty years of DPP governance the flooding problem has grown worse.
• The controversy has extended to the boundaries of power, with observers questioning whether the premier's authority now overrides the president's, creating the impression that "Cho Jung-tai has the final say."

Outlook: The budget standoff between the KMT-TPP camp and the Executive Yuan is unlikely to be resolved soon, and the effectiveness of disaster relief and flood control will become the focus of the next round of political battles.