TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Representatives Don Bacon, Mark Alford, and Rich McCormick have raised concerns about the US$19 billion backlog of weapons to Taiwan at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the 2025 defense budget Tuesday (April 30).

The lawmakers questioned U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin about possible solutions. Austin said he established a team three years ago to understand the root causes of the delay. The team has been instructed to find ways to speed up arms deliveries to Taiwan. 

Though arms sales depend on many factors such as production capacity, the U.S. has been able to move certain things faster, the defense secretary said.

Former Chair of the Select Committee on China Mike Gallagher also highlighted delays in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. During a visit to Taiwan in February, Gallagher proposed transferring the production of U.S. weapons to Taiwan to expedite deployment in the Taiwanese military. Doing so would enhance deterrence against China, he added.

China has ramped up military activity in the Taiwan Strait in recent years, generating concern from the U.S. and neighboring countries. Representative John Moolenaar on Monday pledged to counter Chinese belligerence against Taiwan in a recorded speech marking his appointment as chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

“We will work tirelessly to deter CCP military aggression against Taiwan and our allies in the Indo-Pacific,” Moolenaar said.

Taiwan has purchased numerous weapons systems from the U.S. in the past four years, including missiles, F-16Vs, and Abrams tanks. 

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Admiral John Aquilino said last month that China wants to have the ability to annex Taiwan by 2027. This prediction was based on Chinese leader Xi Jinping's (習近平) order that his military "be prepared if tasked to execute in 2027," Aquilino said.

"Despite a failing economy, there is a conscious decision to fund military capability," he said.