Months ago, Congress passed a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan with rare bi-partisan unity. President Trump should immediately sign off on it. The case for doing so rests on credibility, deterrence and strategic consistency.
• Credibility. The Taiwan Relations Act commits the U.S. to helping Taiwan maintain a credible defense. When Congress approves a sale and the president sits on it, allies and adversaries alike take notice. Delay signals that American commitments can be traded away in negotiations with Beijing, weakening Washington’s word far beyond a single deal. Also hurting our credibility is our slow-walking deliveries of weapons from previous arms sales agreements.
• Deterrence. Taiwan’s military planners have built their defense strategy around the specific capabilities in this package, including antiship missiles and munitions central to the “porcupine strategy” of making any invasion prohibitively costly. Every month of delay leaves gaps in Taiwan’s readiness when Chinese military pressure around the island continues to intensify.
• Consistency. Every recent administration, including Trump’s first, treated Taiwan arms sales as routine and separate from broader China diplomacy, precisely to avoid giving Beijing veto power over U.S. defense commitments. Treating this arms package as a bargaining chip in trade or summit diplo-macy breaks with that precedent and invites future Chinese pressure on other sales.
Finally, timing matters. With Taiwan’s 2028 elections approaching, sustained American support strengthens voices favoring self-defense over acquiescence to Beijing. Approving the sale now would reassure Taipei and the region that U.S. backing remains steady, regardless of shifts in the broader U.S.-China relationship.
Approval is essential to both Taiwan’s security and America’s broader strategic interests.