TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A key US Senate committee has approved a defense spending bill that authorizes US President Donald Trump to provide up to NT$29.97 billion (US$1 billion) in military aid to Taiwan through drawdowns from existing stockpiles.
The US Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved a NT$25.5 trillion (US$852 billion) Department of Defense spending bill, per CNA. In addition to strengthening naval shipbuilding and expanding missile production, the bill also authorizes Trump to use NT$29.97 billion under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to aid Taiwan.
Although the full text of the bill has not yet been made public, US Senator Chris Coons told reporters the committee agreed to authorize the president to transfer military equipment from US stockpiles to Taiwan under the PDA mechanism. In September last year, then-President Joe Biden invoked the PDA for the second time to provide Taiwan with NT$16.97 billion (US$567 million) in military aid, the largest such package for Taiwan to date.
Eric Gomez, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Cato Institute, has long advocated for Taiwan to develop asymmetric defense capabilities. In an article published last year in Foreign Policy, Gomez analyzed the causes of delays in US arms sales to Taiwan and explained why PDA might offer a temporary solution.
Gomez pointed out that Taiwan receives most of its US weapons through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, which typically involves building major weapons systems from scratch. Any FMS sale exceeding a certain threshold, NT$419 million (US$14 million) for Taiwan, must be formally notified to Congress.
Because of its bureaucratic structure, the FMS process tends to be slow, with delays between congressional notification and actual delivery. However, Taiwan has frequently experienced longer wait times than other countries for the same US-made weapons.
Gomez explained the PDA allows the US president to transfer equipment and services directly from existing stockpiles, eliminating manufacturing delays. If used effectively, Gomez said the PDA can enable Taiwan to shift to an asymmetric defense posture and improve its defensive capabilities.
After clearing the committee, the bill still requires a full Senate vote, and the Senate and House must pass identical versions before it can be signed into law by Trump. The version passed by the House on July 18 allocates NT$14.98 billion (US$500 million) for Taiwan to receive defense articles, services, and military education and training.
