Cheng Li-wun Takes On 15,000 Boxes of Mooncakes as DPP Blames Weng Hsiao-ling's Budget Cuts for Battering the KMT

Aug 29, 2026

The KMT's move to cut and freeze the Presidential Office's state affairs fund led to the cancellation of mooncake orders from sheltered workshops, triggering public anger — clearly bad news for the party's prospects in the 2026 elections.

  • Legislator Weng Hsiao-ling proposed cutting and freezing NT$30 million from the state affairs fund, which in turn caused the cancellation of 15,000 boxes of Mid-Autumn Festival mooncakes the Presidential Office had planned to buy from sheltered workshops.
  • After the online backlash exploded, KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun announced that the party would take on all 15,000 boxes of mooncakes, sparing disadvantaged groups the loss.
  • Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen had earlier stated that the city government would foot the bill for affected disadvantaged groups in Taichung, and that the procurement plan would proceed as before.
  • DPP Taichung City Councillor Chen Shu-hua said the KMT was not admitting fault but rather fearing a collapse in the polls and damage to its mayoral and magistrate candidates nationwide, bluntly stating that "Weng Hsiao-ling has floored the KMT."
  • The DPP caucus in the Taichung City Council argued that paying the bill merely shifts the focus, and that restoring the budget would settle the matter.

Outlook: Paying the bill stops the bleeding from the mooncake controversy in the short term, but the backlash from the budget cuts and freezes is expected to carry over into next year's local elections.

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