Taiwan's 2026 central government budget passed the legislature a month ago but still has not been sent to the cabinet, freezing benefit payments for millions of people.

• The legislature passed the budget on August 14 after holding it up for nearly a year, but has yet to formally hand it to the executive branch.
• Until the president can announce it, the budget cannot legally take effect.
• Welfare and allowance top-ups for 3.9 million people — civil servants, teachers, soldiers, elderly farmers, low-income families, and disadvantaged children — are on hold.
• Almost NT$300 billion in spending is frozen, including new capital projects, with local governments losing the biggest share.
• Premier Cho Jung-tai said the cabinet is stuck waiting, but that work carries on.

Outlook: The money stays frozen until the legislature sends the paperwork over, and there is no sign yet of when that will happen.