US Lawmakers Seek More Control Over Military Support For Taiwan

MNI (London): Politico has reported that leaders of the Senate and House Foreign Affairs committees have written to Congressional leaders to ask for a significant boost in military funding to Taiwan.

• The letter, undersigned by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Jim Risch (R-ID) of the Senate Foreign Relations committees and Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Michael McCaul (R-TX) of the House Foreign Affairs committee, can be read here: https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000185-167f-de47-...
• The letter reads: "For Taiwan, FMF [Foreign Military Financing] is a strategically and fiscally responsible choice. Alternative proposals, such as those predicated on short-term security assistance authorities carried out by the Department of Defense, should not be our only option. The threat Taiwan faces is both urgent and unprecedentedly large. To meet this threat, we must use all the tools available to us..."
• The letter demonstrates the increasingly hawkish position that both Republicans and Democrats lawmakers are taking regarding Taiwan. In particular, lawmakers are seeking a more active role in distributing military support to countries and regions which they deem critical to national security, believing that current financing structures within the executive branch are insufficient.