37 US lawmakers express concern over stalled budgetBy Ben Blanchard / Reuters, TAIPEIA bipartisan group of 37 US lawmakers have written to senior Taiwanese politicians expressing concern about the legislature stalling proposed defense spending, saying that the threat posed by China has never been greater. President William Lai (賴清德) last year proposed US$40 billion in extra defense spending to counter threats from China. Photo: Reuters“However, the threat posed by the People’s Republic of China against Taiwan has never been greater. “We commend Taiwan for making important progress in strengthening its military readiness, reserve forces, and asymmetric defense capabilities,” it said. The TPP said it has always supported a “reasonable and steadily growing” defense budget and understood the US’ concerns, adding that spending requests had to be subject to democratic oversight and fiscal discipline.

Source: Taipei Times February 13, 2026 17:13 UTC