TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson Wednesday (April 17) unveiled his plan to provide billions of dollars in military aid for Taiwan.
Johnson revealed his version of long-delayed foreign aid in the form of three bills, one for Taiwan and Indo-Pacific allies, one for Ukraine, and another for Israel. Johnson added a sweetener bill that would seize Russian assets to send to Ukraine, force ByteDance to sell off TikTok, and impose “sanctions and other measures to confront Russia, China, and Iran." He also proposed a fifth bill that will include border security measures.
The bill to back Taiwan and Indo-Pacific countries consists of US$8.12 billion (NT$264 billion) to “counter communist China and ensure strong deterrence in the region.” US$2 billion is earmarked for a Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program for Taiwan and other “key allies and security partners” in the Indo-Pacific region that are “confronting Chinese aggression.”
Another US$1.9 billion will be allocated to replenish defense articles and services supplied to Taiwan and other regional U.S. partners.
The rest of the funds will be directed at strengthening the U.S. military presence in the region. This includes US$3.3 billion to build submarine infrastructure, US$542 million to bolster U.S. military capabilities in the region, and US$133 million to augment the production and development of artillery and vital munitions.
In a letter sent to Republican representatives on Wednesday, Johnson pledged that the text for all three bills would be posted to “ensure time for a robust amendment process.” He predicted a vote on the five bills would occur on Saturday evening (April 20).
On Feb. 8, the U.S. Senate passed a US$95.34 billion (NT$3.1 trillion) foreign aid bill that included US$61 billion for Ukraine, US$14 billion for Israel, and US$4.83 billion for Taiwan and other partners in the Indo-Pacific. However, the bill has stalled for over two months in the House as Johnson faced intense pressure from Republicans allied with former President Trump, who opposes further monetary aid for Ukraine.
