U.S. senators call on Legislature to pass Cabinet defense plan

Washington, Feb. 6 (CNA) Two U.S. senators on Friday urged Taiwan's political parties to swiftly pass a Cabinet-proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.5 billion) special defense budget for 2026-2033, citing its importance to national security.

U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen, chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a joint statement they were "deeply disappointed" that the budget proposed by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) remains stalled in the Legislature.

"We urge Taiwan's political parties to work in good faith across party lines to fully fund Taiwan's self-defense," the senators said.

Citing China's brazen military exercises simulating a blockade of Taiwan in December, the senators said the drills serve as a reminder of Beijing's intentions toward Taiwan and its threats to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The funding is critical for military reforms and improvements in whole-of-society resilience, and for Taiwan's security and partnership with the United States, they added.

The Legislature has repeatedly blocked a review of the Cabinet's special defense budget since Lai announced it in November, with the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP) demanding that the president first brief lawmakers and take questions on the proposal -- a request Lai has rejected.

Backed by the KMT, the TPP proposed its own version of a national defense special act on Jan. 30, which caps arms spending at NT$400 billion through 2033, and requires that funding be allotted on a yearly basis.

In contrast to the Cabinet's bill, the TPP's is narrower in scope, covering only five of the eight weapons systems approved for sale by the U.S. Department of State in December.

Responding to the senators' statement on Saturday, the KMT said in a news release that it supports a reasonable defense budget and called on the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) to accurately convey its position to the U.S. Congress, which it said was being misled by the Democratic Progressive Party government.

Taiwan's budgeting system differs from that of the U.S., the KMT said, noting that last year, the Legislature approved more than NT$600 billion in defense spending, and this year's budget will also remain at the same level.