TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The US House of Representatives on Friday passed a spending bill that includes an amendment prohibiting the Pentagon from using maps depicting Taiwan as part of China.

On July 18, the House approved the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026, a bill allocating over NT$24.3 trillion (US$830 billion) in military spending, including NT$14.69 billion for Taiwan security, per CNA. Representative Tom Tiffany's Taiwan-related amendment passed by voice vote without opposition.

The amendment stipulates, "None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be expended to create, procure, or display any map that depicts Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou, Green Island, or Orchid Island as part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China."

Ahead of the vote, Tiffany urged support from fellow lawmakers, noting that a similar amendment had been adopted in the previous Congress as part of the State Department funding bill. "Today’s amendment would simply extend this policy to the Department of Defense," said the representative.

“This is not a controversial amendment, since all of us know that Taiwan is not – nor has it ever been – part of Communist China even for a single day," said Tiffany. He pointed out that Taiwan elects its leaders, maintains its own military, conducts its own foreign policy, and signs trade agreements with other countries.

“By every measure, Taiwan is a sovereign, democratic, and independent nation – and any claims to the contrary are simply false,” he added. Tiffany said Washington's long-standing “one China” policy, merely acknowledges “Beijing’s unsubstantiated claims over Taiwan," and called it an outdated and dishonest policy “that we should abandon.”

While the amendment does not dismantle the misguided policy, Tiffany said it at least ensures the maps used by the Pentagon reflect reality: “China is China, and Taiwan is Taiwan.” His “honest maps” amendment was adopted without objection.

The legislation must still pass the Senate, where lawmakers will need to reconcile any differences before sending a final version to the president. As of now, the Senate Appropriations Committee has not released its version of the bill.

Tiffany, a longtime Taiwan supporter, has introduced similar amendments over the years. A related provision was successfully included in the 2022 federal spending bill, signed into law by then-President Joe Biden, though the language was softened to prohibit US agencies from using a map that "inaccurately depicts" Taiwan’s territory.