US lawmakers urge passage of defense budget in letterBy 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 China. The US must address the massive backlog in weapons deliveries to Taiwan, but Taiwan needs to step up too, the letter said. "Nevertheless, we fear that without significant increases in Taiwan's defense spending at levels reflected in President Lai's proposed special budget, this progress will be insufficient," it added. The parties say they support defense spending, but would not sign "blank checks" and that they have a duty to fully scrutinize all budget proposals.

Source: Taipei Times February 13, 2026 06:41 UTC