Changes in the U.S. Congress affect Taiwan's arms purchase, delay in US$14 billion arms sales case attracts attention

Exterior of the United States Capitol Building. After the midterm elections, the Democratic Party gained control of both houses of Congress. Whether the delayed US$14 billion arms sales to Taiwan will gain more support and oversight from Congress has attracted attention. (European News Agency file photo)

The U.S. Democratic Party gained control of Congress after the midterm elections, and the delayed US$14 billion (approximately NT$450 billion) arms sales to Taiwan has also attracted renewed attention. Singaporean strategic research experts analyze that after the Democratic Party takes control of Congress, it may strengthen supervision of the Trump administration and demand a re-examination of these arms sales; however, there are still different opinions on whether there will be major changes in U.S. policy towards Taiwan as a result.

"Channel News Asia Singapore" (CNA) reported on the 5th that Dr Adrian Ang U-Jin, a researcher at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies (IDSS) at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, pointed out that after the Democratic Party takes control of Congress, it may adopt a tougher supervisory stance on China's technology export controls and Taiwan security issues, and ask the executive branch to re-examine the delayed US$14 billion arms sales to Taiwan.

A post-election analysis by Voice of America (VOA) pointed out that the leadership of key congressional committees such as foreign affairs, military affairs and appropriation will affect the direction of the new Congress’s oversight of China policy and related issues, including the Indo-Pacific military deployment budget and semiconductor export controls.

However, the change in the power of Congress does not mean that the arms sales case will be solved immediately. Members of Congress can put pressure on the executive branch through hearings, oversight, and budget reviews, but notification of arms sales to Taiwan and subsequent administrative procedures still involve the decision-making of the president and the executive branch.

Drew Thompson, a senior researcher at RSIS, believes that the U.S. policy toward Taiwan is unlikely to undergo major changes due to the change of Congress. He pointed out that support for Taiwan's security from both the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States has continuity and has not fundamentally changed due to the rotation of political parties.

Elissa Slotkin and Thom Tillis, the Democratic and Republican co-chairs of the Senate Taiwan Caucus in the U.S. Congress, also wrote a cross-party letter to President Trump, asking the government to move forward with this $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan and complete a formal notification to Congress as soon as possible. The two also advocated that arms sales to Taiwan should not be used as a bargaining chip in U.S.-China negotiations.