U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Thom Tillis, Chris Coons, John Curtis, Tammy Duckworth, Jacky Rosen, Andy Kim and Elissa Slotkin called on President Trump on May 11 to formally notify Congress of $14 billion in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan ahead of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The letter from the bipartisan group comes as Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan approved a special defense budget of $25 billion for self-defense capabilities. The senators said that most of this budget would fund U.S.-provided defensive arms once Congress is notified. "We strongly encourage your administration to formally notify the $14 billion in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan that Congress pre-approved in January 2025," wrote the senators.
They emphasized that American support for Taiwan should not be used as leverage in talks with China. "Just as Taiwan’s leaders demonstrated unity in support of their people’s defense, so too must we move ahead with pending U.S. arms sales vital to our own national interests," the senators continued. "You should make clear to Beijing that as you seek to level the economic playing field, American support for Taiwan is not up for negotiation." The letter also warned about potential consequences if China were to gain control over Taiwan: "In a world in which Beijing moves decisively to seek control of Taiwan, American families would suffer from severe and long-term inflation, supply chain disruptions that would destroy manufacturing jobs at home and steep hikes in the cost of living."
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee focuses on developing and influencing U.S. foreign policy through examining treaties and legislation; it was established in 1816 as one of the original standing committees and has played key roles such as supporting measures like the Truman Doctrine and rejecting the Treaty of Versailles according to its official website. The committee designates its Chairman for majority leadership and Ranking Member for minority leadership as detailed on its official website.
The senators argued that swift action on pending arms packages would also support jobs across the United States while reinforcing deterrence against Chinese military action: “Swiftly advancing the pending U.S. arms package to Taiwan would also support jobs across the United States and investment in our defense industrial base as we face mounting global threats.”
Concluding their letter, they said: “This future is not theoretical. It can and must be prevented and we have partners in Taipei stepping up to meet the challenge. That is why we urge you to formally notify the $14 billion package of arms to Congress as required by law.”
