Sen. Menendez Wants $10B For Taiwan Defense In US Military Budget

NEW JERSEY — A U.S. senator from New Jersey is pushing for up to $10 billion in aid for Taiwan over the next five years as part of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). His raison d'être? Worries about “aggression” from the People's Republic of China.

On Wednesday, Robert Menendez, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced that key pillars of his legislation to “strengthen the relationship” between Taiwan and the United States will be included in this year’s annual military spending plan (learn more below).

“This national defense bill will be one of the most consequential in years, not only for its support of our servicemembers, but for setting the theater for real deterrence by implementing a more resilient strategy for Taiwan should China continue pursuing a collision course toward war,” Menendez said.

Federal lawmakers hammer out a new version of the NDAA every year, establishing defense priorities and providing guidance on how military funding can be spent. It typically sees several changes and amendments before a final version is agreed upon by the Senate and House of Representatives.

Congress has passed the bill for more than six consecutive decades, and it typically sees support from all but a handful of dissenters in New Jersey. Read More: Massive US Defense Bill Gets 'No' Votes From 3 NJ Congress Members

The latest version of the bill – unveiled Tuesday – contains $858 billion in topline funding, $45 billion more than President Joe Biden requested. It’s expected to pass the Senate and House of Representatives this month, Reuters reported.

While some Congress members from New Jersey have heartily supported this year’s NDAA, others have called for the United States to put the brakes on military spending.

Speaking about an earlier version of the bill in July, a spokesperson for Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman criticized the topline numbers, calling them “bloated.”

“A defense budget that large is a policy failure when families in this country struggle to put food on the table,” they added.

BOB MENENDEZ: ‘UPSETTING THE STATUS QUO’

Negotiated as a bipartisan amendment to the annual defense legislation, Menendez’s Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act, which was formerly called the Taiwan Policy Act, was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this year.

Menendez released a statement about what the $10 billion will pay for – and why he feels it’s needed:

“Specifically, inclusion of the updated bill in the NDAA will dramatically enhance the United States’ defense partnership with Taiwan by establishing, for the first time ever, a specific defense modernization program for Taiwan. The TERA authorizes up to $10 billion in security assistance over the next five years to modernize Taiwan’s security capabilities to deter and, if necessary, defeat aggression by the People’s Republic of China. The bill also requires a whole-of-government strategy to counter Chinese influence campaigns and economic coercion targeting Taiwan and countries that support Taiwan. It provides additional support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations; advances critical cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan on issues related to public health; creates a Taiwan Fellowship Program; and directs the Executive Branch to provide Congress with new assessments on China’s nuclear threat and how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has affected China’s posturing vis-à-vis Taiwan.”

“China’s rapid military build-up, with new technologies and weapons that could be used against Taiwan, and its continued aggression and bullying across the Taiwan strait, in the information space and in the economic domain are upsetting the status quo and destabilizing the Indo-Pacific,” Menendez said.

“The China challenge has become the most significant national security issues our nation has faced in a generation, and I am incredibly proud to help Congress continue to make the necessary reforms and investments to bolster our support for Taiwan’s democracy before it is too late,” he added.

Regional tensions have been rising about Taiwan in the past year, which Beijing claims as its own territory. China hasn't renounced the possible use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Meanwhile, Taiwan has rejected China’s claims of sovereignty.

In November, President Biden said he told Chinese President Xi Jinping that the U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed, and that the United States opposes unilateral change in the status quo by either side. The president added that he doesn’t think there is any “imminent attempt on the part of China to invade Taiwan.”

Biden has previously said that U.S. military forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.

After U.S.-Chinese tensions spiked following a visit from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last summer, a Chinese foreign minister said Washington was sending “very wrong, dangerous signals” about Taiwan.

“The Taiwan issue is an internal Chinese matter, and the United States has no right to interfere in what method will be used to resolve it,” the foreign minister reportedly said.

Taiwan is home to the world’s largest contract chipmaker, TSMC. The nation plays a large role in providing the chips used in cars, smartphones and fighter jets. It is also a leading supplier to companies such as Apple.

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