TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Thirty-four members of the US Congress have signed a letter urging the Legislative Yuan to pass a special defense budget.

The letter was signed by pro-Taiwan lawmakers, including Senator Pete Ricketts, Senator Chris Coons, and Representative Young Kim, per CNA. The letter was addressed to Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文), TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), and DPP Legislative Caucus Convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘).

The lawmakers wrote that the threat posed by China to Taiwan has never been more serious. They cited frequent incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, increased crossings of the Taiwan Strait median line, harassment of fishing vessels, and the cutting of undersea cables. 

Facing a worsening security environment, the letter said both Taipei and Washington must do more to deter Chinese aggression. The US, it added, must also address its “massive backlog” of arms deliveries to Taiwan.

“You have our commitment to continue to work together to ensure Taiwan gets the capabilities it needs, faster," the lawmakers pledged. "Likewise, we need Taiwan to step up with us,” they said.

They acknowledged Taiwan’s progress in boosting military readiness, reserves, and asymmetric capabilities. However, they warned that such progress would be insufficient if defense spending does not significantly increase to the level reflected in President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) proposed special budget.

They acknowledged that legislators must ensure taxpayers’ money is used effectively. “However, we also have a responsibility to fund our militaries at levels that will address the critical threats we face,” they said.

Last year, the Cabinet proposed a special budget to procure NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.73 billion) in arms over eight years. The bill has been rejected by the KMT and TPP 10 times since then.

On Thursday, Lai urged both ruling and opposition parties to pass the budget swiftly. The TPP caucus later signaled support for sending the bill to committee. Meanwhile, KMT Caucus Convener Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) said his party would introduce its own version and negotiate with the TPP.