Lu Shiu-yen Says the Presidential Office "Abandoned" Its Mid-Autumn Gift Box Order; a Reporter Challenges Her on the Spot
Taiwan's opposition-controlled legislature cut the presidential office's discretionary budget, killing a bulk order of Mid-Autumn gift boxes from sheltered workshops for disabled workers — bad for those workers, and now a political fight over who is to blame.
- The KMT and TPP together cut and froze the presidential office's operating funds, forcing it to cancel an order of 15,000 gift boxes from 37 sheltered workshops and disability groups.
- Taichung mayor Lu Shiu-yen blamed President Lai for "abandoning the order" and said her city would take over the purchases instead.
- Critics say that flips the story — the money was cut by her own party, and she never mentioned that while casting herself as the one cleaning up the mess.
- A reporter confronted her at a public event, asking how she could claim credit when her party made the cut; she walked away without answering.
- Clips of the exchange spread fast online, with many questioning her honesty and her fitness for a 2028 presidential run.
Outlook: The blame fight will keep running as more workshops report cancelled orders, and Lu's handling of it is now part of the early 2028 positioning.