Taiwan's parliament starts a new session with a fight brewing over the government's budget and over who gets to sit on the state watchdog body — a standoff that could stall government spending plans.

• Lawmakers will hold a recorded vote on President-nominated members of the Control Yuan, Taiwan's official watchdog agency.
• The opposition KMT says it will vet nominees strictly and block anyone it judges unfit, insisting parliament is not a rubber stamp.
• The ruling DPP is pushing the opposition to start real work on the central government budget quickly instead of dragging it out like last year.
• The DPP warns a late budget would slow government projects, local construction, and welfare programs.
• The smaller TPP repeated its long-standing position that the Control Yuan should be abolished altogether.

Outlook: The nominee vote comes first, and how it lands will set the tone for a budget fight that could drag on for months.