A months-long budget fight in Taiwan's legislature has left billions in new defense, drone, and public health spending stuck, which is bad news for the government's plans and for the programs now scrambling to spend the money in time.

• Taiwan's 2026 central budget was supposed to pass last November but only cleared review in mid-August, the longest delay on record.
• The opposition KMT and TPP, who control the legislature, approved only part of the new spending and held back NT$29.9 billion.
• The blocked money covers battlefield trauma surgery and emergency medical gear for the military, military drone programs, and a drone industry development plan.
• Public health projects also got caught, including a domestic vaccine industry plan and health ministry digital infrastructure.
• Agencies now have under four months to run tenders and actually spend the money before the budget year ends.

Outlook: Expect a rushed year-end spending push and a fresh round of political fighting as the new legislative session opens.