Taiwan's drone bill heads to a vote as parties split over funding
Taiwan's legislature is fighting over how to fund a major drone buildup, a clash that matters for the island's defense readiness and its budding drone industry.
- Lawmakers are set to vote on a drone bill, with the opposition and ruling party far apart on money.
- The ruling DPP wants a special funding law; the KMT and TPP want yearly budgets instead, with the KMT pushing for NT$240 billion spread over six years.
- The TPP version would create a strategic committee of experts to write a national drone roadmap, then let the cabinet set budgets year by year under legislative oversight.
- Speaker Han Kuo-yu's cross-party talks broke up without agreement, so the outcome now hinges on floor votes.
- A separate fight is brewing over referendum rules, with the election commission chief opposing a plan to put multiple questions on one ballot.
Outlook: Expect a bruising floor vote, with the opposition's combined majority likely to shape the final bill and the funding fight to spill into next year's budget season.