A row over a Nationalist lawmaker's push to cut welfare spending is turning into a lasting problem for Taiwan's main opposition party, and the ruling DPP is happy to keep it alive.

• KMT legislator Weng Hsiao-ling has drawn heavy public criticism for three straight weeks over her proposal to cut and freeze budgets for vulnerable groups.
• DPP polling puts negative sentiment toward her above 80%, and the party is now building a campaign message around her.
• DPP caucus whip Chuang Jui-hsiung mocked the KMT by noting she still has more than a year left in office to keep causing damage.
• At-large seats like hers are meant to be a party's public face, so the fallout raises questions about how the KMT picked its list.
• The damage is spreading past one person, since the whole KMT caucus has to back her moves.

Outlook: The dispute is likely to follow the KMT through the year-end local elections and into the next legislative campaign.