ICYMI: House Republicans push legislation to require Biden administration to detail the status of major arm sales to Taiwan

Washington, DC – Last week, U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-39), who serves as Vice Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation, introduced the Arms Exports Delivery Solutions Act (H.R. 8259) to track transfers and ensure efficient delivery of U.S. defense equipment sold to Taiwan and other Indo Pacific allies.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Michael McCaul (TX-10), House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation Ranking Member Steve Chabot (OH-01) and Rep. Brian Mast (FL-18) joined as original cosponsors of the bill.

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CNN

House Republicans push legislation to require Biden administration to detail the status of major arm sales to Taiwan

By Kylie Atwood

July 1, 2022

Republican House lawmakers are introducing legislation that would require the Biden administration to provide Congress with a detailed report on the status of major arms sales to Taiwan, an effort that comes as there is a mounting sense of urgency about getting Taiwan the weapons it would need to fend off a potential Chinese invasion.

The bill, introduced on Friday by California Rep. Young Kim and Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, comes as members of Congress are looking to understand what the current environment — particularly the demand for weapons into Ukraine and mounting pressures on US supply chains — means for the delivery timeline of weapons to Taiwan.

In total there are hundreds of millions of dollars of arms sales to Taiwan that Congress wants updates on. The hope is to “pull back the curtain” on what is contributing to the delay of US arms arriving in Taiwan and come up with solutions to expedite deliveries, one congressional aide explained.

The Republicans have also grown frustrated by the lack of answers the administration has provided to them when asked about the status of certain deliveries, congressional aides said.

“The Arms Exports Delivery Solutions Act ensures that defense equipment already purchased from the U.S. by Taiwan and other allies in the region are tracked and delivered as efficiently as possible as the Chinese Communist Party eyes further aggression. I will do all I can to ensure the United States remains a leader on the world stage,” Kim said.

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