TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – As legislative committees failed to agree on a special defense budget Thursday, the government has warned the delivery schedule for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) could be imperiled.

The Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee and the Finance Committee at the Legislative Yuan spent three days this week reviewing the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defense budget as well as the alternative NT$400 billion TPP package and the NT$380 billion KMT proposal. However, the committees failed to find a consensus Thursday, per CNA.

There were differences of opinion on some of the names of the procurement topics and on the amount of funds needed. The KMT also wanted the acquisition of the weapons systems to be completed in 2028 at the latest, while the government package is spread over eight years.

As a result of the differences, the three defense proposals will be referred to negotiations between the party caucuses for one month. The pause in the review by the legislative committees is expected to endanger at least one weapons deal with the US.

Taiwan deployed 11 HIMARS systems, but later ordered 18 more, with delivery expected to begin in December. The deadline for the first-phase payment of the new batch of systems is just four days away, CNA reported. If Taiwan is unable to make the payment now, the delivery schedule for the HIMARS could be affected, the Ministry of National Defense confirmed.

Missing the deadline would likely see the payment postponed until the end of the year, ministry officials said. Department of Strategic Planning Director Huang Wen-chi (黃文啟) said the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency told him in a phone conversation Wednesday evening that postponing Taiwan’s deadline would be difficult.