The US House of Representatives passed a spending bill this month that includes $500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan. The money is real. The political signal behind it is pointed. And it comes at a moment when the White House has gone quiet on the island’s defense.
President Trump has not approved a major new weapons package for Taiwan since his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 15. Trump described his decision to hold back $14 billion in previously planned arms sales as a negotiating chip from that meeting. Since then, no public announcement has been made, and the delay has stretched past two months.
Congress is filling the silence. The $500 million in Foreign Military Financing – included in the fiscal year 2027 appropriations bill passed by the House on July 15 – does not authorize any specific weapons sale. It provides funding for Taiwan to acquire weapons, training, or related services. But it sends a clear message that the legislative branch has not backed away from the island’s defense, even if the executive branch is weighing its options.
Huang Chung-ting, an analyst at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taipei, said the funding signals that Congress wants to avoid long-term constraints on military aid to Taiwan due to White House negotiations with China.
The bill still requires Senate passage and Trump’s signature. But if signed, it would require the administration to obligate the money – making it harder for the White House to quietly freeze Taiwan assistance.
The $14 billion package remains in limbo. Experts expect no announcement until at least September, when Trump is expected to host Xi in the United States. Trump’s delay may reflect multiple factors: negotiations with Beijing, a review of US weapons stockpiles, internal White House scrutiny, and a desire to avoid announcing a large Taiwan arms deal before Xi’s visit.
Meanwhile, the People’s Liberation Army continues to increase military exercises near Taiwan, often within the 161-kilometer strait. The island’s defense needs are not waiting for the next Trump-Xi summit. And Congress, at least, has made clear it is not waiting either.